


She-Ra and the Legend of the Lost Princess

by writingsofaspongecake



Category: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018), She-Ra: Princess Of Power (1985)
Genre: (if you squint really hard), Adam shows up (yayyy), Adora (She-Ra) Needs a Hug, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Answer: Its Eternia, Canon Compliant, Eternia is a mess, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, F/M, He too is an oblivious mess, Healthy dose of Fluff, Little snippets of Catra's past too, M/M, Mentioned Horde Prime (She-Ra), Mentioned Light Hope (She-Ra), Mentioned Shadow Weaver | Light Spinner (She-Ra), Oblivious Adora (She-Ra), Oh and there's angst too, Origin Story, Post-Canon, Post-Season/Series 05 Finale, She's messed up af, The gang goes to space, Where did Light Hope yeet baby Adora from anyway?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 22:40:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 31,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28838670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writingsofaspongecake/pseuds/writingsofaspongecake
Summary: 2 years have passed since Horde Prime was defeated and things are going perfectly fine until a giant laser shoots out of the Whispering woods, calling our friends back into action. As these events unfold, Adora and Catra have to deal with ghosts from their past, while learning to make peace with new and harsher truths. Unknown to them, a new adventure is afoot, filled with new obstacles, open doors, and old memories.Or22 years of war and occupation have left Eternia, once the brightest jewel in the First One empire, teetering over the edge of the precipice. With the royal family held in captivity and missing key members, it is up to Prince Adam to save his people and his family from the dangers afoot. And, to his surprise, who is to come to his aid but the heroes who saved the universe from Horde Prime's grip. Adventure ensues for the young prince and his newfound allies, as they work to save Eternia before it's too late, bridging gaps, healing old wounds, and making astounding discoveries on the way.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), George/Lance (She-Ra), Mermista/Sea Hawk (She-Ra), Netossa/Spinnerella (She-Ra), Perfuma/Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 70
Kudos: 90





	1. Beginnings...?

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to begin with a small introduction. Hey everyone, I'm writingsofaspongecake, an aspiring fan-fic author and an avid She-Ra fan. As I believe it is for many, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power is a show that has a very special place in my heart, so I consider this fic to be my contribution to this amazing fandom. SPoP is an amazing show (to say the least) and no matter which lens you view it through, it always delivers perfectly. In this fic, which is the first work I've ever posted on this platform, I've decided to do some overdue justice to a plot-line that was, for quite a long time been left untouched and unexpanded upon and, to be honest, is a subject that I haven't seen addressed much by the community. I've always had questions about Adora's origins. Where she came from and who she might've become had Light Hope not opened her portal and questions about what might've been had things gone differently. So, I rounded up all the lore and information I could, and out came this piece of fan creation. I really, really hope you guys like it and I hope you enjoy this adventure with me. Thanks for sticking around and, without further ado, let's get right into it.
> 
> Note from the author:  
> This is fanfiction based on the show “She-Ra and The Princesses of Power” (2018). It includes story and lore elements from both “He-Man and The Masters of The Universe” (1983), and “She-Ra: Princess of Power” (1985). The majority of characters are property of “DreamWorks Animation Television™” and “Mattel Creations™”. However, many characters and plotlines are purely original, while you will find that some characters and/or story elements/plotlines have been inspired by canon lore.

**Prologue:**

… It had already been 2 years since Horde Prime was defeated, and things could not be going any better for the Best Friend Squad.

Adora and Catra were finally together after years of hardship and separation. It had taken both of them a while to adjust to their new life, as a couple, as war heroes but also, as normal people who were no longer carrying the literal weight of the world on their shoulders, and whose decision determined the outcome of an intergalactic war. And although it had taken time for people to forgive Catra for what she had done, especially since she still hadn’t found it in her to forgive herself, progress was being made. With Adora now forever by her side just like they had always promised each other, and with the help she was getting from her friends, she knew she would eventually make it.

Things for Adora hadn’t been any easier. Her time in the rebellion, although giving her some of the best memories in her life, had still imposed a lot of stress on her, and she had lived through enough traumatic experiences to last five lifetimes. The Heart of Etheria hadn’t exactly helped her in that department, the memories of that horrible night still haunting her nightmares; the coldness of the crystal floor under her lifeless body, the cruel sound of Horde Prime’s voice as he ripped her away from the one thing she had always wanted, the pain of his venom coursing through her veins, consuming her wavering life force, taking her away slowly. She had lost count of how many times now had she woken up in cold sweat, tears streaming down her face, the eventual scream escaping her mouth, startling Catra and Melog awake. But now, 2 years on, things were looking up. And although it was slow, with Catra’s help, and the assurance that they would never be apart again, Adora was healing, learning to let go of the pain instead of keeping it in, fearing of burdening others with it, knowing that she was worth so much more than she could give and that people loved and accepted her not for what she was, but for who she was. One step at a time, her life was becoming every bit the life she had always wanted and she was at her happiest.

For Glimmer, the return of her father to Brightmoon meant much less pressure and responsibility as queen, since she now had a much more experienced figure guiding her through her decisions, setting her on the right path. She perfected her magic skills with the help of her father and aunt, while at the same time researching the potential of her angelic side with the help of Bow, Catra and Adora, the new-found knowledge seemingly giving her some closure about her mother.

As for Bow, things were going wonderfully. He and Glimmer were perfect for one another, and whenever the young queen was seen around Brightmoon with her beau, “Ooohs” and “Awws” always followed. They did however have to endure Catra’s unending playful teasing, her snarky and sarcastic comments now a part of their everyday life they had grown very fond of. Bow sometimes went on the eventual trip to his fathers’ library to visit with his friends, or to make some research on the first ones when it was needed at the court, almost always dragging Adora with him to help with translation. A year after the war’s end, Bow finally got his wish on going on a true-to-nature pirate adventure, courtesy of his friends and Seahawk’s extensive expertise in the department. Even Catra had agreed to tag along on the pirate’s ship, if not a little reluctantly, keeping a firm grip on Adora’s arm to steady herself, and spending most of the trip with her eyes tightly shut.

And so, 2 years went by like they were nothing, with Etheria’s wounds healing after decades of war, the inhabitants of the planet slowly rediscovering the stars and what lies beyond them. Technology too began to advance once more, with Etheria now benefitting from Horde Prime’s leftover tech. After the battles were finally over, Entrapta and Hordak had made it their responsibility to gather all the clones, who were now as disoriented as Wrong Hordak had been when he was disconnected from the hive mind, and give them a home at Dryl, where they were promised safety and stability. And once the other Etherians had warmed up to the idea of good clones and they were allowed to aid with relief efforts, they proved to be surprisingly helpful. They were especially useful when it came to rebuilding the former Fright Zone, which was once more known as the Scorpion Lands, back under Scorpia’s rule. The ancestral castle, Horror Hall (no one really knew why it was called that way) was rebuilt bigger and more beautiful than before, and the Black Garnet was returned to its original home. Life on Etheria was now indeed better than it had ever been, and with the universe freed from Horde Prime’s control, space travel was once again safe.

But all was not well all over the wider universe, as somewhere, not very far from Etheria, a once-great planet lay in turmoil for over 22 years. And instead of making things better, Horde Prime’s disappearance from the planet had only made things worse, as an even bigger threat to the planet had manifested itself. And the planet’s name, you ask? It was Eternia, the brightest jewel in the First One empire, one of the oldest and most powerful of the factions. And their story, like many others, had started 22 years ago with the disappearance of their infant princess. And for now, it is where our story begins, on one of the planet’s moons, the royal moon of Orwin.

* * *

The cool breeze of the early evening brushing against his skin, ruffling his shoulder-length sunny blond hair did nothing to soothe Prince Adam’s nerves, as he sat back against the wall, perched upon the highest tower of Orwin Castle, his hideout since he was little. He sighed as he looked at the setting sun, wondering how many more of these sunsets he would see before he finally got an answer to his message. But then again, maybe he was getting his hopes too far up… after all, it had been years since contact with any faction had been established. How could this time be any different? Adam wondered as he watched the sky grow darker if he would ever go through with his plan. _A crazy idea_ … That’s what everyone had said. _A crazy, dangerous idea that could cost us the last royal_ … the prince’s brows furrowed in frustration as he repeated those words in his mind. The last royal. He was never supposed to be that. He was never supposed to be anything more than Prince Adam of the House of Grayskull, son of Queen Oriana and King Norum, the future leader of the Serenia regiment and elder brother to the Princess-heiress. His long lost sister. His thoughts had carried Adam so far that he hadn’t noticed the growing sound of footsteps, getting slowly louder, as whoever was making them approached.

“Adam?”

The prince snapped in surprise at the call, as Princess Isabella of Orwin, or as he called her, Bella, came into view, a slightly worried look on her face.

“Bella, what are you doing here?” he asked.

“I’ve been looking for you all over the place. I was worried when you stormed off like that…” the princess answered, sitting opposite of him.

“Are they gone?” Adam questioned, still not making eye contact.

“The counselors you mean? Yeah, they left 10 minutes ago.”

“Good. I never wanna hear of that stupid plan of theirs again.” Adam scoffed, as he remembered the options those pompous idiots had presented him with, earlier at the meeting. _Come back to the mainland and take the throne as a temporary arrangement, or stay here and stay out of our way…_ He balled his fists at the idea, anger still boiling through him. His mother was still alive and they dared even think of replacing her? Adam suddenly noticed that silence had grown between him and Bella. He looked at her, concerned that he might’ve upset her, and saw that she was clearly holding back from saying something.

“You okay there Bella?”

“Yeah, I just…” Bella paused, her voice trailing off in hesitation. “Look, Adam… I know you absolutely… hate the idea of taking the throne…”

“Seriously? That again?” Adam raised his head back towards the ceiling, staring at it. “I don’t just hate it, Bella. I despise it! It has never been a prince's place to take the throne, unless specifically appointed regent by a senior royal, of which, as you know, there are usually three: The Queen, the Archmagus and the Princess-Heiress.” 

“But…” 

“And as you also know," the prince abruptly cut her off, "we are lacking all three. My mom and aunt are being held captive in the ends of who-knows-where by a raging lunatic who also happens to be my cousin and my sister…” Adam’s words died in his throat. His eyes widened slightly, as he raised his head back to look at Isabella “She’s…” The young prince sighed, unable to finish his sentence.

“I know Adam. But please, if you would just hear me out…” Bella inquired him.

“I won’t.” 

“Adam please…”

“Isabella! Stop. I don’t want to hear of it. Taking the throne while my mother is still alive would be treason. I would be doing exactly what Andrew is trying to do! What do you think the people will say if I do that?” Adam snapped, chest rising and falling with anger.

“I…I don’t…”

“They’d start comparing me to him! They’d start wondering how in the seven stars is it wrong for him to take the throne just like that, but completely okay if it’s me. And he’ll use that to his advantage. He’ll appeal to a lot of people and his following will more than triple!” 

“Adam, why would they compare? Unlike him, you are the son of the queen. It’s okay to break the rules for once if it means you’re doing it for the greater good.” Bella ventured.

“Being the son of a queen doesn’t make me more deserving than Andrew. The rules are the rules. No males on the throne. We’ve upheld those rules for thousands of years. If we, the royals, start breaking them, what kind of example would we be setting for our people? I am the last royal, aren’t I? It’s my job to make sure that our country doesn’t fall into sheer chaos until someone with more authority returns to fix things.” Adam’s voice calmed and he scooted slightly closer to Bella before he continued. “And, as you know, I have a plan to make that happen. I just need to know if you’ll be with me and support me when I… if I go through with it.” Adam finished, slightly breathless, his eyes staring directly into Bella’s.

“Oh, Adam…” she breathed and grabbed his hand between hers. “Of course I’ll support you. We came up with this plan together, remember? We go through with it together, no matter the obstacles in our way. And if… when we go through with it, I’m positive that we’ll make it. Let’s just hope that message does the trick” Bella assured, wrapping an arm around the prince's shoulder, as he laid his head on hers, finally calming down.

“Thanks, Bella. You really are the best friend anyone could ask for.” Bella smiled, laying her head on top of Adams.

“I try. Now, there’ something I wanted to tell you. About the message. Good news and… well I won’t say bad but… less good?” Adam raised his head, interest peeked.

“Someone answered?” 

“No, but the message was received. By more than one faction too.” 

“That’s the good news right?” Adam asked, feeling his enthusiasm fade.

“Yes. The lesser good news is that…the majority of the factions that received the message are either dead or ghost factions…”

“How many factions in total received the message?”

“Eight. Three living factions, two dead factions, and three ghost factions. The living factions are Avion, Operon, and Targa…”

“Of course, they had to be the furthest three away from Eternia… meaning the least likely chance of them actually sending help” Adam sighed and extricated himself from under the princess’s arm, moving away to lean on the adjacent railing.

“And the other factions?” Adam wasn’t sure why he was asking. It’s not like help was coming from them, yet he felt a strange curiosity to know. “Uh, Malarkah and Granamyr, both dead factions, and three ghost factions, Tahryn, Shandor-

-and Etheria.”  
**  
**


	2. I dream of wisps and explosions.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was a morning like every other one in Brightmoon. Until it wasn't...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, here we are, Chapter 2! So Chapter 1 was received fairly well and it performed far better than I expected, however, I still feel like there are a few things I should clear up before moving forward. 
> 
> Concerning Isabella, she is an OC that I created specifically for this story, and her relationship with Adam is purely platonic. The two grew up together. They view each other as siblings, no more and no less. As for her rank and titles, she is a Lunar Princess, ruling over the moon of Orwin, one of Eternia's 13 inhabited moons (more on those later. In total, Eternia has 20 moons). 
> 
> Now, in this chapter we get our first instance of 'Best Friend Squad', Glimbow, Catradora... you name it, since, the events are situated in Brightmoon. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy ^o^  
> Your Kudos and comments are highly appreciated❤

Adora had always been prone to nightmares. From the sleep-fighting to her nightmares about the Heart, some of her nights were pretty restless for someone who was no longer fighting a war. But as she sat up in her bed in the quiet dead of that night, listening to Catra’s light snores and purrs as the magicat slept next to her, she thought about the dream she’d had. By all accounts, it was different from her usual bad dreams, since…well… It wasn’t exactly what one would call ‘bad’. All she was sure about was that it seemed familiar. Not familiar in a way that she would instantly recognize it, but also, not something that was completely alien to her. She’d had that same dream a few times before, although she couldn’t remember when. Her eyes moved to her girlfriend snoozing peacefully next to her, and her lips formed a smile. She wondered if she should tell Catra about that dream… She tried to remember the details as she slipped back down under the covers and shuffled towards her to hug her gently, careful not to wake her. She closed her eyes, watching as what little memories she had kept from the dream played out in her mind. A small child running around in the grass (or something that looked like grass)… A woman with kind blue eyes looking down upon her, saying words she couldn’t understand then calling her by her name... The stars… A baby’s laugh… and then, a harsh bright light, an automated voice uttering distorted words and a loud, painful cry, echoed by the cries of an infant… then, strong, cold arms wrapping around her with surprising gentleness and two big bright red eyes… Her focus wavered as her mind began to drift off, the low rumble of Catra’s purrs slowly driving her back to sleep. Her girlfriend’s purring had always had that effect on her. As she fell back into deep sleep, the dreams came again, this time slightly clearer, but before she could make out anything useful-

- **BOOM-**

All of Brightmoon awoke with a start, as the loud explosion was followed by an equally loud, and for some, equally terrifying, whooshing noise. Adora and Catra awoke, one with a loud hiss the other rolling halfway off the bed, summoning her sword involuntarily, while Melog let out a startled roar, their mane turning crimson.

“What was that!?” Catra shouted as she jumped from the bed, instinctively reaching out to calm Melog.

“I don’t know but it sounds big!” answered Adora, still holding the sword as she too got out of bed. Her eyes were still unfocused with sleep, yet something in the window behind Catra caught her attention. She stowed away the sword and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, blindly making her way towards it, Catra and Melog in tow. She opened her eyes, only for them to be met with a giant ray of light rising from the middle of the Whispering Woods going up miles into the air, emitting a low buzzing sound as it pulsed.

“The woods… it’s coming from the Crystal Castle.” Adora concluded, her eyes widening as she took in the sight.

“As in the scary place with the spiders and the weird memory simulations?” Catra asked, her voice having an edge of fear to it.

“Yeah tha- AH!” Adora cried out, both hands flying to her head, as a loud, painful droning noise suddenly filled her ears. 

“Adora?! What’s wrong?” Catra felt panic rise inside her, as she placed a hand on Adora’s shoulder while the other moved to her waist, ready to support her, fearing the worst.

“I…I don’t…know…” Adora’s ears throbbed as the noise only kept getting louder, screaming at her like the shriek of nails scrapping down a chalkboard and the roar of an incredibly loud roll of thunder. For a few seconds, she felt as though her ears and head might burst into flames at any moment. But then, just as suddenly as it had started, the droning faded away, and Adora’s hands went to rub near her temples, working to ease the sharp sting near her ears.

“Are you okay?” Catra asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” 

“What the hell was that?!” 

“You didn’t hear it?”

Catra shook her head in denial.

“It was like… some kind of loud signal. But, that doesn’t matter. It’s probably because of that.” Adora gestured vaguely towards the beam of light.

Catra’s nerves calmed slightly and her hands eased their hold, as she moved to stand next to her girlfriend, interlacing their fingers together, her tail wrapping around Adora’s forearm protectively.

A loud pop suddenly filled their room and waves of magical sparkles flew over them as a very disheveled Glimmer and Bow appeared next to them, the latter seeming slightly disoriented.

“Uhhh, Glimmer, mind if we stop with the teleporting for a minute?” Bow grumbled. He seemed on the verge of throwing up, which left little to guess. Glimmer had probably teleported them all over Brightmoon before getting to Adora’s room.

“Eheh… Sorry. Are you guys okay?” Glimmer’s face was ridden with worry as she moved closer towards her friends, eyes alternating between Melog, Catra, and Adora.

“We’re fine Glimmer. Any idea what all this is about?” Adora quickly got to the point, hoping to avoid talking about the weird droning. It reminded her all too much about a nasty trip to Beast Island a few years ago. Before Glimmer could answer, loud wing-flapping carried over to their ears, as Swiftwind appeared on the window, seeming all but calm.

“Adora, please tell me you heard it too.” 

“Heard what?” Glimmer asked, concerned eyes moving from Adora to her steed.

_So much for avoiding the subject_ , Adora thought as she approached the window and reached out to caress the horse’s head soothingly. “It’s nothing, Glimmer, just… a signal. It’s probably because of whatever the castle is sending out. No need to worry about it.” Adora wasn’t even half-sure of what she was saying; she could only hope that it was true.

“Think we should go check it out?” Swiftwind half-heartedly suggested.

“Or we could NOT go near the giant beam of light that just erupted out of nowhere, and for all we know, could be a giant laser or something,” Catra replied, her tail swishing widely behind her.

“Catra’s right”, Bow conceded “Maybe it’s better if we stay away from there for now, and focus on making sure no one got hurt.” 

“We should also contact Entrapta. If anyone can figure this out, it’s her.” Glimmer declared, quickly adding “No offense, Bow.”

“None taken. Besides, she knows much more about First One’s tech than I do. I’ll call her”

“We should make sure everyone’s okay and reassure them before panic spreads,” Adora suggested, already making her way to her closet to pull out a more appropriate outfit to change into. 

“I may be slightly ahead of you,” Swiftwind said. “I flew all across the castle before getting here. No damage to report. But yeah you should do something about the panic. It’s getting pretty big.” The horse gestured towards the western gate where a crowd had begun to form, panicked conversations, gasps, and shouts relaying over to Adora’s room. 

“Don’t worry, I got it,” Glimmer assured. “I’ll go get my dad. You guys contact Entrapta. Also, call an emergency meeting of the princess alliance.”

“Okay, easy there Sparkles. Maybe we shouldn’t worry the other princesses just yet. Not until we’re sure that it’s a threat anyway.” Catra thought that whatever that thing’s deal was, it was probably not worth calling a planet-wide emergency. But then again, she could very much be wrong. First One’s tech had proved itself a very volatile thing to deal with, and Catra and the others knew that all too well. 

“Catra, I don’t want to cause a panic, but I think it’s best if we’re all dealing with this together. We don’t know what to expect from First One’s tech. And I don’t want to repeat old mistakes. We all remember what those led to.” Glimmer’s words rang true with Catra, and she finally agreed.

“Adora and I will take care of it then.” And with that, she turned to the closet, stopping briefly to give Adora a quick peck on the cheek, which the blonde returned before hitting the wash room to change and freshen up.

Glimmer teleported herself and Bow out of the room and Swiftwind flew down towards the gate, perching up near the Moonstone, which left Catra alone with Melog as she rummaged in her closet, pulling out a clean top and pair of pants. She glanced at the clock set on the dresser: it was barely even 6 AM. This day was going to be very long.

* * *

Adora’s mind raced as she stood above the sink, staring into her reflection while she brushed her teeth. And to think she had actually planned on never even going near that place again. Who knew what horrible surprise it held this time? Her gut twisted as she remembered the last time she’d been to the Crystal Castle, and she felt herself retch slightly as she spat the excess toothpaste into the sink. She washed it out, trying to calm down. The mere thought of going back, even for a few moments shook her to her core. She hated that it had that effect on her. She hated that it made her, the mighty She-Ra, tremble and lose control like that, bringing out all her insecurities. The more she thought about it, the more she realized just how bad every significant trip she’d ever made to that castle had been; the first time, when she’d stumbled upon it with Bow and Glimmer 5 years ago, they’d almost been crushed to death by the falling debris. The second, she had been stuck there with Catra and all their painful childhood memories. Not to mention the spiders. The third, Light Hope lied to her. And the last two times… the heart had almost burned her and everyone she loved away, had she not stopped it.

_I don’t know what they told you, but it wasn’t all bad at first._

Mara’s words from the message played in Adora’s head as she thought about how wrong the last She-Ra had been, wondering just how different things had been for her. She sighed as she set down her toothbrush and dabbed the towel gently across her face to dry it out.

But just as she moved to set it back down, the droning noise came back, this time louder and more painful than before. Adora’s face crunched as she grabbed the sink with one hand for stability, the other moving to her throbbing forehead, as she tried her hardest not to cry out. The towel slipped from her hand, sliding to the floor, dragging a perfume bottle with it, which shattered in a loud clatter as soon as it hid the tiled floor, spilling out its content.

The sound made Catra’s ears perk up in startle. “Adora? Everything alright in there?”

Adora’s voice shot from the bathroom, reassuring but strained. “Y…Yes. Don’t worry... I… Everything’s f…fine.”

Adora could barely hear herself speak. She tried to open her eyes, but the sounds began getting more and more intense, and before she could understand what was happening, a dizzy spell sent her to her knees, holding her head in her hands, bringing even more stuff clattering onto the floor beside her, as a cry of pain finally slipped through her lips, loud enough for Catra to hear. Suddenly, everything was overwhelming. Too loud, too bright, too hot, too close.

Adora was vaguely aware of the door opening and Catra running towards her. 

“C… Careful… the… glass…” she muttered through pained whimpers.

“What’s going on?! Is it that sound again?” Catra asked, fear swelling in her voice. Adora could only nod.

They stayed this way for a few more seconds, Catra helplessly holding Adora to stabilize her, until finally, the dreadful sound faded away once more, taking a while to fully dissipate, and the universe finally ended its impromptu attack on her senses. Adora’s body relaxed into her girlfriend’s hands, her own hands rubbing soothing circles into her head, and Catra helped her to stand.

“Adora, I don’t like this.”

“I don’t think there’s anything I can do about it. It was just liked that on Beast Island. Except there, we could all hear it, and it wasn’t as strong. Come on, help me clean all this up, and let’s head out,” Adora declared as she grabbed the bottles and other objects strewn across the floor. Then noticing Catra’s worried stare, she added “Catra, I promise it’ll be okay. We’ll figure it out and find a way to stop the signal. Trust me. And, if it makes you feel better to know, the signal isn’t hurting me. It’s just uncomfortably loud is all.” She gave her a small smile as she placed the fallen trinkets back in their places then moved to pick up the glass.

Catra sighed and bent down to help the blonde. “If you say so. Are you sure you’re okay?” 

“I’m fine, I promise.” Adora stood up to throw away the glass then grabbed some paper towels and used them to sponge up the spilled perfume.

Catra’s nose began to sting, and she sneezed as the strong smell of the perfume spread further across the room, hitting her elevated senses hard. “Ugh. The bathroom’s gonna stink for days now," she complained just as Melog strode into the room, sniffing out the air.

_“What is that foul smell?”_ the cat asked, the words falling on Catra’s ears alone.

“It’s perfume buddy. Lots of it.” 

_“Ah. I see.”_ They made their way further in, avoiding the puddle of liquid with graceful movements and moving towards Adora, butting their head against her thigh, earning them a small giggle and ear scratches in greeting.

“Hey, Melog.” 

_“She seems distressed. Why is that?”_ Melog nuzzled their head into Adora’s touch and purred loudly, while their eyes shot Catra a questioning look. Catra locked her line of sight on Melog, trying to hide the worry in her eyes from Adora, as her suspicions were further confirmed. She knew Melog spoke from concern but sometimes, their honesty felt more like blunt hits then anything.

“Always the observant one, aren’t you Melog.” She then noticed Adora’s playful, fond stare and shot back with one of her own. “What?” She asked, washing the excess perfume off her hands.

“Nothing. I just wonder what you and Melog talk about sometimes, that’s all. It always seems like you’re having such deep, meaningful conversations.”

Catra’s spirits lifted at the smugness in Adora’s voice, and she retorted with sarcasm of her own. “Ooooh yeah. You have no idea how much cat wisdom you’re missing out on.”

At this, Adora laughed and her face finally lit up the way it always did when she was at ease. Catra’s low giggles echoed the blonde’s laughter but were soon replaced with a fond smile as she stared back at her girlfriend, letting her laugh fill her senses and drown out her worries. She moved towards Adora and wrapped her body around hers from behind, pushing her sunny blonde hair aside to pepper light kisses on her neck. “I like it when you wear it down.” 

“I guess you’ve convinced me. It’s much more comfortable like that anyway.” Adora conceded, nuzzling into the magicat’s warm embrace.

“Does that mean the torturous hair poof era is finally behind us?” Catra remarked, earning herself an impromptu tickle attack from the blonde, which she barely managed to avoid, shrieks and playful laughter gripping them as they made it back inside their room, Melog jumping behind them excitedly.

“Hey! The hair poof is perfect!” Adora retorted, ending her failed tickle assault on Catra, as their giggles faded away, and they melted back into each other’s arms almost unconsciously. Their breathing caught up and Adora pressed their foreheads together, coaxing a loud purr from the magicat.   
“Come on idiot, we have to go or else Sparkles will murder us for being late.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, that was chapter 2. I really hope you enjoyed it and I'm excited to hear your thoughts. So far, the fic is looking like it's gonna be at least 18 to 20 chapters, but we'll see how things evolve. In the meantime, you can expect chapter 3 to be released on Monday next week around this time. 
> 
> See you then❤😄


	3. From Eternia with love.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rebellion makes an intriguing discovery, and a decision must be made. So will it be a yes or a no?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ⚠️IMPORTANT. PLEASE DO NOT SKIP⚠️
> 
> Alright, Chapter 3, let's do this. I actually went and re-wrote half of this chapter to make it more fitting in the story, and all in all, I'm really happy with how it turned out. 
> 
> Now there are a few things I want to clear out about this chapter the first of which being the part about Catra's backstory/pre-Horde past:   
> So, yes. As I mentioned in the tags, I did include a few things about Catra's past. A few snippets, as I said.   
> Anyhow, in the original "She-Ra" from the '80s, the Magicats live in the underground city of 'Halfmoon', their refuge from the Horde.   
> In the reboot, neither 'Halfmoon' nor the word 'Magicat' are mentioned once. Therefore, I decided to change things up in my story. Which meant that the Magicats got a whole lot more recognition, and a full-blown history that involves a Runestone and even a war with the First Ones (this will be relevant later in the story, but it only holds symbolic importance. No plot relevance).   
> So, to summarize: The Magicats come from the Kingdom of Thyra, located south of the Scorpion Lands (former Fright Zone) and sharing a border with it. And although it might not be the biggest kingdom on Etheria, it is arguably one of the oldest. Thyra used to have a Runestone, a giant emerald they called "The Eye of Thyra" (or just the Eye for short), but it was lost after a feud with the First Ones dating back to around 2550 years ago.   
> Now, right along the border between Thyra and the Scorpion Lands, there were several cities and towns and villages. One of those was the small town of 'Vidia', a town centered mostly on history and renowned for having some of the biggest libraries in Thyra as well as a prestigious History academy (No, not the Academy of Historic Entreprises🙃🙃). Vidia was the only Magicat holding to ever be attacked by the Horde, 18 years before the events of Season 5, the simple reason being that the magicats retaliated so damn hard that they had the Horde forces retreating not 5 hours into the battle, all battered and scratched and clawed all over.   
> That battle also left hundreds of casualties on both sides. Among the many, many Thyrian citizens who were lost was a young couple who lived in the area. They only had a two-year-old daughter. Unfortunately, the two died during the attack and their daughter (Our angsty heterochromatic girl) was picked up by a soldier and taken back to the Fright Zone, where she met a tiny little blonde with a hair poof. The two became instant best friends and the rest is practically history. So there you have it, the whole story. It's sad I know (😞Sorryyy).
> 
> You'll find more explanations in the ending notes as I couldn't put everything up here.
> 
> I really hope you enjoy ^o^  
> Your Kudos and comments are highly appreciated❤

“Remind me why you brought us here before the sun has even risen?” Mermista admonished Glimmer, sinking drowsily into her seat, stifling a yawn.

“Maybe it’s because a giant laser just randomly shot out of the woods, Mermista! Or did you forget that almost half this planet is made up of thousands of year’s old, unpredictable tech!” Glimmer angrily whispered, her eyes shooting daggers at the siren.

The morning had been rough on all of them.

Almost half the meeting room was asleep. On the seat next to Mermista, Scorpia sat with Frosta on her lap, both snoring, while Perfuma sat cross-legged in the seat right next to Scorpia, humming quietly to herself, trying to salvage whatever she could of her interrupted morning meditation. Netossa and Spinnerella occupied their usual seats, heads on top of one another, sleeping deep. Behind them, Swiftwind and Seahawk snoozed, with Seahawk curling under the horse’s giant wing. Next to Netossa, Adora and Catra sat on adjacent seats, Catra dangling her feet over one armrest, while the other supported her head as she watched her tail lazily swing from side to side against the back of the seat, while Adora combed her fingers through the magicat’s hair (Which had now grown almost as long as it used to be before that drastic haircut) staring emptily at the communications panel in front of her, which now ran blank, aside from the occasional glitch running across its holographic surface.

At the head of the table stood Entrapta, Bow, and Hordak, fiddling around with machines and typing out unending sequences of code, with Entrapta letting out the occasional frustrated huff, or humming to herself in concentration. Behind them, Glimmer paced silently, shooting Hordak the occasional suspicious stare, while Bow’s dads, who had been called in to help, and king Micah sat on the couch in the far end of the room, trying to figure out the order in which to read the numerous charts the two historians had brought along. The sun’s rays were peeking through the window as it rose further and further into the sky. Melog and Catra’s purrs together were loud enough to lull everyone into drowsiness, being the only sound that occasionally filled the room, aside from the rare hushed conversation between the scientists or the historians, and the constant yet very low beeps and blinks of the communications panel. The room’s atmosphere was calm and quiet enough to induce a considerable amount of lethargy in anyone in it.

That is until, Entrapta let out a wild shriek, which startled everyone awake, earning her loud hisses from Catra and Melog. Even Hordak and Bow jumped slightly.

“Haha! I figured it out!” The scientist exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air.

“You, uhm… figured what out?” asked Glimmer, still slightly reeling from the unexpected outburst.

“The signal, silly!” Entrapta answered like it was the most common piece of knowledge. “It was a little hard to breach through but after breaking through the holds of the hive mind, nothing is too difficult! After connecting the main server in the Crystal Castle to Brightmoon’s communications panel, figuring out the code sequence to actually read the message was, hypothetically, supposed to be easy. When the Crypto Castle’s sensors picked up the transmissions this morning, Hordak and I immediately began to analyze its nature, but we needed more connections, closer proximity. Coming here, where I’m much closer to the castle, things were much easier, but we did have much more work to do since Brightmoon doesn’t have the Crypto Castle’s machines. This is why it took us this much more time to completely figure out what the castle picked up, but we did and YOU. WON’T. BELIEVE!” Entrapta screamed with excitement as her Robo-pigtails carried her all across the room, her giddiness shaking all the sleepy heads out of their torpor.

Hordak cleared his throat then continued Entrapta’s short explanations. “Yes, it is truly an extraordinary discovery. One that I personally never expected we would make.” Entrapta’s screaming finally abated and she stood right between Adora and Catra, whispering excitedly.

_“We found First Ones!”_

Adora’s body fell slack against her chair, eyes wide and lips shut, as her mind took a minute to catch up. _First Ones?_ Her breath was held up in her throat, her airways suddenly constricting. The room stood silent. Everything around her seemed to move in a blur, sounds came to her in hushed whispers, and then silence again. She felt a hand gently clasp on her shoulder, but her mind was in so much shock that she couldn’t even process the gesture. It was like the world had stopped. “F…First ones?” she stammered, her voice barely a whisper, and she wondered if she had even said it aloud or if she had simply heard the words in her head. The room suddenly felt smaller. Then another voice came, loud and clear into her mind, a memory…

_The First Ones are the original settlers of Etheria. They disappeared a thousand years ago, but they left behind a lot of old ruins and technology, like this place…_

_So what happened to them?_

_No one knows. They just disappeared…_

The voice in her mind was a soft friendly one, unlike the ones that came after it.

_The First Ones will rise again. You are a descendant of their mighty empire. That is why I used all my strength to reach across the entire universe to find you, and bring you here._

_You told me Hordak was the one who brought me through the portal. You told me he stole me. But it was you all along… All of this is because of You!_

_…_

_There is something so… familiar, about you Adora. A face I have not seen in a thousand years, not since I faced your ancestors, and crushed their once-mighty empire beneath my heel... You call them the First Ones. And you are one of them, are you not Adora?_

_…_

_I thought the First Ones were all gone, but clearly, some faction remains._

Prime had been correct on that fateful day. And deep down, Adora realized that she had always known this. Her existence itself was proof. Light Hope and Horde Prime’s words had been nothing but confirmation. Even her name was alien to Etheria, sometimes drawing surprised looks from those who heard it for the first time, even those closest to her.

The pressure on her shoulder suddenly became sharper, and Catra’s strong voice hit her ears, cutting short her unraveling thoughts.

“ _Adora!_ ” Catra almost had to shout, shaking the blonde by the shoulders.

“Wha- Huh?” Adora replied, slowly regaining focus.

Catra’s voice became gentler as she added “You kinda zoned out for a minute. Are you okay?” Catra had lost count of how many times she’d asked her that question, and she didn’t like having to repeat it because that usually meant that her girlfriend was not okay.

“I…uh” Adora stammered, still slightly disoriented.

“Uh… yeah, I… I’m fine.” Her eyes finally darted to Entrapta who was staring at her with a hint of guilt in her eyes. “Sorry… I probably shouldn't have said it like that. But, you have to admit it is a fascinating discovery!”

“What Entrapta meant to say is that the Crystal Castle picked up a message,” Bow explained, hitting a few keys on the communications panel causing it to display an array of strangely organized First One sigils. “The message was sent using recent technology, but that doesn’t mean that old structures like the Crystal Castle can’t still pick it up. Destroying the Heart of Etheria dismantled a huge part of the technology found at the planet’s core and in the runestones, but it didn’t affect the rudimentary functions of the Castle, which is why it was still able to pick up the message.”

Hordak then approached one of the machines he and Entrapta had brought along, and continued Bow’s explanations. “The Castle sensors however are made of old technology. This is why a huge beam of light shot out of it this morning when it first received the message. The transmission’s arrival caused the old notification system to flare up. It’s also why those of you connected to the structure could hear those signals. It was part of the old system, a way to notify any First Ones that might be far that a message had been received. But it has been worn down over time, and instead of the usual alert chime, it sounded the way it did; like a corrupt signal. Entrapta managed to override those waves to get to the message, which is why you are no longer hearing anything. The Crystal Castle now deems the message read, and it is safe to assume that whoever sent it will also be notified that it has been seen. Leaves to us only the translation of the message as well as the determination of its exact source and its date of delivery.”

“Wait, wait, wait, hold on. So you’re telling us that this message was sent by _actual_ First Ones? The same First Ones who weaponized the planet and almost destroyed us all?” Mermista questioned, before quickly adding, “No offense, Adora.”

Adora shrugged. “None taken. Besides, I think we have the same questions. First of all, how do we know that the message is recent and not just an old transmission sent thousands of years ago, that the castle just picked up?”

“Simple,” Entrapta chirped, her hair strands carrying her to the keypad of the communications panel. “First Ones have incredibly advanced technology which, in my years I’ve studied extensively. Messages that are sent do not take long to arrive, due to the use of a precise frequency that facilitates the fast travel of any vocal or written transmission through the void of space! Well, not through the void of space, it actually follows a mapped route of stations that carry it all across the universe to reach the right destinations.”

Entrapta looked around the room only to be met with puzzled looks in the eyes of everyone aside from Hordak, who proceeded to translate what the princess had just said. “What Entrapta means to say is that the First Ones used specific technology to ensure that their messages arrived quickly from one faction to the other, to ensure constant communication. It is this technology that proves to us that the message is recent, having been sent from a living faction. We estimate that it could be about a week old, but we’d need to translate it to be sure.”

At this George, Lance, and Adora immediately stood up. “We still haven’t figured out how to read those charts, but I think Lance and I can help with the translation.” Offered George. Adora eyed them hesitantly. She didn’t want to be rude, but she did remember the oh-so-infamous “Lunch” episode. At her hesitation, George laughed and proudly added “Don’t worry. After staying in that ruin for so long we’ve gotten a lot better at figuring this stuff out.” “Right… okay,” Adora replied, concluding that she could always use the extra help. All three of them huddled over the message displayed on the wide holographic screen as Adora began to read it with her eyes before saying anything out loud. The message read as follows:

_To our dear brothers and sisters in other factions,  
We reach out to you from the faction Eternia, 16th planet to the north, the motherland of the Royal House of Grayskull, in a humble plea for aid. 22 years ago, we lost our queen, Her Royal Majesty Queen Oriana the 10th of the House of Grayskull, as well as her husband, King Consort Norum, and our Royal Archmagus, Lady Iseadora of The House of Grayskull. They were taken captive by Horde Prime’s forces until his mysterious demise 2 years ago. But then, before they had the chance to escape, they were captured again by Lord Andrew of The House of Grayskull, the Queen’s nephew, now considered a traitor and ex-member of the Royal family for his unspeakable misdeeds.   
I, Prince Adam of The House of Grayskull, son to Queen Oriana and King Norum, speak to you dear brothers and sisters, imploring you to aid me and my allies in our quest to rescue the Royal family from their captivity, and save Eternia and her people, before it’s too late. Lord Andrew is planning to usurp a throne that is not rightfully his by any means be (those who know our laws will confirm so), and if his goals are obtained, then Eternia and her people are doomed to suffer a horrific fate under the hand of a tyrant. Therefore, I appeal to you, as a Prince, to help me fulfill my duty as the Last Royal and save my people this tragic end, and as a son, to help me save my parents, whom I have not seen in 22 years due to the disastrous chain of events that occurred all those years ago.   
I ask you not to send me armies, for of those we have plenty that remain for now, under different authority than mine. I only require a specialized team of professionals to help me carry on the rescue mission, following a meticulous plan that ensures the safe return of all those benevolent people. Send whoever you see fit for this mission and you have my word that they will all return to you safely, showered with the highest of honors, regardless of the mission’s success. I thank you deeply in advance, and hope to receive a reply from you soon.   
With my Highest of Regards,   
His Royal Highness, Prince Adam of The House of Grayskull._

The further Adora read into the message, the more questions popped into her mind, the look on her face alone enough to get her friends on the edge of their seats. When she finished reading it for the second time, she had to take a few steps back from the communicator, her eyes narrowing in thought. George and Lance alternated between looking at her and looking at the message of which they could make a few words out. 

“Well?” Catra finally asked, tail swishing behind her, betraying her growing agitation.

“What does it say?” Added Glimmer moving closer to the blonde, looking at the writing which made no sense to her whatsoever.

“Is it bad?” Asked Perfuma, laying a hand onto one of Scorpia’s claws, while the latter’s hold on Frosta firmed up just a little.

“Are we in danger?” added Netossa, sharing a worried look with her wife, before looking back at Adora.

Mermista, Seahawk, and Swiftwind sat in utter silence, while Bow, King Micah, Hordak, and Entrapta stood together (With Micah and Hordak as far away from each other as possible), patiently awaiting Adora’s reaction. Lance suddenly let out a low “Oh dear”, and both looked to Adora, prompting her to speak.

Adora’s voice finally came, to everyone’s relief. “It’s… a call for help… from Eternia. From a certain “Prince Adam”. He’s asking for help to save his parents, who apparently are the king and queen of that place, and who have been held captive for the last 22 years, first by Horde Prime, then by…uhh, the queen’s nephew? Who’s trying to overthrow them and take the throne himself?.” That was all Adora could say, her mind still racing with questions, wondering if any of her words had made any sense.

Her friends remained silent for a few moments, slowly taking in the little they had just been told, but chaos immediately broke loose as soon as Catra so much as uttered the words “What now?”

“Wait. Eternia is a place?”   
“How come they asked us for help when there are no first ones on Etheria anymore?”   
“Are we sure this is not a trap?”   
“Who is this “Prince Adam” anyway?”   
“Wait hold on. They want help?”   
“What’s Eternia again?”   
“Are we sure this is all recent?”  
“Could we maybe get more details?”

The overlapping of voices filled the room as questions poured on Adora, Lance, and George like rain. The chaos went on until Adora couldn’t take it anymore.  
“Uh, guys?” No answer. She raised her voice. “GUYS!” Silence came upon the room once more as all eyes moved to Adora.

She spoke again. “How about I read it all for you and then we ask the questions.” Murmurs of agreement rose from the table as everyone nodded then listened as Adora read the message aloud, George and Lance translating the First One writing into Etherian standard writing onto a manuscript as she went along.

When she was done, her friends looked at her, somewhat in disbelief, as they processed the contents of the message.

Suddenly George’s face lit up. “Of course! Lance, did you get chart number 37? You know the…”

“The one we found in that Vidian library fifteen years ago? You bet I… Wait… I think I know where you’re going with this!” Lance sprinted towards the pile of parchments, books, papers, and notebooks he and his husband had brought along with them and rummaged in the pile until he found what he was looking for. “Uh… 35…38…33… Ah, 37! Listen to this everyone: Located on the northern-most axis of the great flower, the First One faction of Eternia is said to have been settled more than 9000 years ago. Today, it is ruled by the Royal House of Grayskull, all descendants of King consort D’Vaan Grayskull, known most prominently for his great defeat of the serpentine King Hiss and his armies of darkness, who, through unknown means and for unknown reasons, attempted to steal the Eternian throne from King D’Vaan’s wife, Queen Veena. The planet consists of a mainland (Eternia) and twenty moons of which thirteen are known to be inhabited, and it is also the overseer of many projects on many different factions, the most recent of which is The Heart of Etheria.”  
  
Catra’s brows furrowed questioningly. “Wait. How is the Heart of Etheria considered recent if the people who invented it disappeared a thousand years ago?” She asked, as Melog jumped onto her lap, shrinking a little to fit comfortably.

“Well, you have to take the scroll’s age into account too. This one, according to the librarian who gave it to us, is around 1200 years old”

“Oh.”

“So Eternia is a planet?” added Adora, trying to connect the dots. A strange sense of familiarity washed over her, the kind she felt when she first found the Sword of Protection in the Whispering Woods. The kind of familiarity she always felt when she looked at the stars.

“Yes,” Answered George, moving towards the message still displayed on the communication’s panel. “And, if we look at this message, right up… uh, here,” he continued pointing to a sigil in the far right corner of the message, “We can see that the date is pretty recent, indicating to us that, as we estimated, this message is no more than 5 days old.”

“From it, we can understand that the royal family of Eternia is currently in crisis, with 3 of its most senior members missing,” continued Lance. “The message is evident. As you said, Adora, it’s a plea for help. And the demands seem clear.”

“A team to help that prince save his family from whoever is holding them captive.” Concluded Glimmer.

“Yes. The decision now is whether you will answer the demand, or live and let live,” said George, and all eyes moved to Glimmer, who stared blankly at her feet, then at Adora, with a knowing look. Adora’s eyes met her, and she knew (and dreaded) what Glimmer was about to say. “Adora, I know you’ve never thought of them as such, and I know that you consider Etheria your home, but in the end, they are still your people. You’re the only First One on this planet. You’re the only one with that authority. It’s your choice. If you want to help, we’ll all be with you, if not, we all would understand that too. The decision is yours. And if it’s not something you want to be involved with, just tell me, and I’ll sort it out.”

Adora didn’t answer, looking Glimmer dead in the eye for a moment before turning away in thought, her lips pursed in a thin line. Any form of speech lodged at her throat and made her almost choke. She didn’t even know what to say. On the upside, she had a choice. This was no failsafe or near-death, high-stakes situation. It was a simple plea for aid. And yet she couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by the size of her decision’s impact. If she said yes, she could potentially be walking head-first into the arms of danger, dragging her loved ones along. If she said no, she would have to live with the fact that something out there was broken. Something that she could, but didn’t necessarily have to fix. Adora had a choice, yes. But would her inner demons let her make the right decision?

The two ideas came crashing together in Adora’s mind as she scrambled to conclude, to no avail. She didn’t even know if she wanted to help or not. In the past, she would’ve said yes immediately, no questions asked. But now? This was off the table. The recklessness, the hasty decisions, the lack of consideration. Adora wouldn’t let herself fall back into these habits. Her silence was prolonged, her eyes glued to nothing as she thought on and on about her options. And then came another prospect.

Eternia… A First One faction not too far from Etheria… The same name etched on every last piece of First One shrapnel they happened to come across on the planet. And, for all she knew, a possible vantage point to get more answers to questions that had plagued her mind ever since she’d allowed herself to ask them.

The choice suddenly had an entirely new layer of depth added to it, which was the probable explanation as to why she suddenly felt like she was drowning.

For the others, Adora’s silence was seen as deliberation, a minute or two to think, to make a choice. But for Catra, that silence held an unspoken request; ‘Help’. Without saying a word, the magicat stood up, made her way to Adora, taking the blonde’s hand between hers, and led her out of the room.

“Catra, wha…” Adora stammered but Catra kept going.

“We’ll be back.” She heard no retorts as she closed the doors behind her.

Catra made her way to the nearest balcony with Adora in tow, not saying a word. Once they were finally outside, she stood against the railing, silently waiting for whatever would come from Adora. And Catra could practically hear Adora’s breathing start to ease and her racing heartbeat slow.

Adora hadn’t realized how uncomfortable being in that meeting room was making her until she was finally out of it, or more specifically away from what it entailed, and she felt her breathing steady and her senses calm as she stood on that balcony with her girlfriend safely by her side. The rising sun warmed her to her core, and in the stillness and calmness of it all, she finally felt relatively peaceful, probably for the first time that day. But then, her eyes landed again on the giant laser shooting out of the woods, and just like that the weight of the huge decision Glimmer had just assigned her came crashing back on her shoulders. She sighed.

“How are you feeling about all this?” Catra finally asked, prompting the conversation forward. She knew she was scratching the right itch and hoped that Adora would let things out instead of packing it all in.

“I don’t know… mainly, confused. I don’t know what to think about this whole situation. I mean… on one hand, Glimmer’s right, these are my people and I’m the only one who can help…”   
  
Catra had to hold from slapping a hand across her forehead, breathing deep to calm herself. “No, you’re not.” She sighed, placing a hand on Adora’s shoulder and turning her so that they faced each other. “Adora, you don’t always have to be the _only one_ who can do something. Others can take care of this. Like I always say, it doesn’t always have to be you. When are you ever gonna understand that?” Catra’s voice was determined but gentle. Adora’s face fell, as Catra moved them closer to each other, holding her by the waist. Adora finally sighed and looked Catra in the eyes.

“I guess you’re right about this. And trust me, I do understand. It’s exactly the problem.” Adora finally conceded in a flow of frustration. Catra sighed and slightly tightened her hold, inviting the blonde into a gentle hug. Adora all but melted into Catra’s embrace, burying her head in the crook of her neck, holding on tight. Then she continued.

“I could say yes but, then we’d have to go save a planet, and who knows what crazy situations that might put us in. I could just as easily say no and move on like everyone else, but then… ugh…” Adora muffled a deep sigh in Catra’s shirt and leaned in even further, trying to burrow away from the world in the safety of the magicat’s arms.

Catra raised her hand to the flow of her girlfriend’s golden hair and gently caressed the strands soothingly. She understood perfectly what the meaning behind that desperate sigh was.

“I know this is hard for you. And I know you probably want to help but, Adora, you’re not their last hope. These are the First Ones we’re talking about. For all we know, there are hundreds of factions out there, maybe thousands. It’s okay if you choose not to help because someone out there most likely will. So you don’t have to feel like this is your responsibility, okay?” Catra was almost taken aback by her own words, surprised that she had just said all of this. Perfuma was definitely rubbing off on her, that’s for sure. But then again, there was nothing she wouldn’t do for her sweet, blonde idiot.

After a few seconds, Catra felt the slightest nod of Adora’s head against her neck, and sighed in relief.

“You’re right. On one hand, I could just forget about this. Be a little selfish for once.” _But is this really what you want?_ Adora heard a voice in her mind say. Suddenly, amidst all the confusion, something finally shone clear. She knew what she wanted, or at least she could finally put a label on it. “On the other hand… this could be my only chance to finally get some closure about who I really am, and where I came from…” Adora’s voice came slightly muffled by the fabric of Catra’s shirt. Catra listened without interrupting as Adora made her point. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m really happy on Etheria. I’m happier here, with you, Bow, Glimmer, and everyone else, than I ever could’ve been if I’d grown up somewhere else. But, ever since Light Hope told me the truth, or half-truth I guess, it’s… it’s always been a nagging question at the back of my head, and the only person who ever had full answers about me and my past disappeared when I broke the sword and took all her secrets with her.” Adora sighed and pulled slightly away, keeping Catra’s hands on her shoulders. “I’d like to believe that there could be a chance, as far-fetched as it might feel. And then again, maybe I’m not from Eternia, maybe Light Hope took me from a completely different faction, and maybe… maybe it’s too late. Maybe I can never find my family or even where I come from.”

Adora’s face crumpled as she said these last words and she choked down on the lump in her throat. She didn’t want to cry about this. After all, it hadn’t been her choice. None of it. But perhaps… perhaps this harsh aspect of her reality was what really made her want to cry. And when Catra raised her hand to Adora’s face, gently brushing a thumb up and down her cheek, the digit was soon met with stray teardrops, as Adora’s throat burned with the cry she was trying so hard to hold back. It wasn’t long before the blonde’s head was back on Catra’s shoulder, as the magicat held her tightly, trying, if only for a moment, to steal her away from the world and its pains.

“Hey…Don’t say that,” Catra urged, sprinkling light kisses on Adora’s head. “I know it feels a little impossible, but there could still be a chance.”

She heard Adora sniff before she heard her muffled answer, barely louder than a whisper.

“What if… What if they’re gone, like your parents?” She sniffed again and raised a hand to wipe her damp cheeks. “We know Horde Prime got to Eternia, he could’ve easily gotten to them too…” 

Adora remembered the day she, Catra, Bow, and Glimmer journeyed to the Magicat Kingdom of Thyra, the place where Catra had been born. They’d all discovered a lot about themselves on that trip, Catra more than anyone. She remembered how she had been approached by another magicat who seemed to recognize her from her heterochromatic eyes. Turns out the magicat had been right about her, and she told Catra all about her parents and how she’d lost them to a Horde attack. They also visited Catra’s old home, which still bore the scars of the battle that it witnessed, where Catra had found her mother’s old diary documenting a few years before her birth and the 2 short ones they’d spent together as a family, and a few family pictures, which she now held onto religiously. Going to Thyra had brought back old memories to Catra’s mind, memories she didn’t even know existed. That day, she found out that magicats had extremely powerful long term memories, among other things. As Adora remembered that day, she thought about how slim the chance that her parents were still out there really was… what if this wasn’t a risk worth taking after all?

“Wha… Adora, I don’t…” Catra’s voice trailed, wondering if what she would say next would make any difference. She knew from experience that this was very much a possibility. And a very likely one at that.

In response to the silence, Adora kept going, emptying the void of dark thoughts forming in her head. Was it worth taking that choice if saying yes entailed such a disappointment?

“Or maybe, Light Hope did something to them to take me. Maybe her portal… killed them…” Try as hard as she might, Adora couldn’t stop herself from thinking of these possibilities, refusing to believe in what seemed too good to be true… too impossible… too out of reach…

Catra heaved a long and drawn out sigh as she collected her thoughts, then gently moved Adora’s head from her shoulder, and made sure to lock her eyes on her.

“Adora, listen to me. I know my case was a lost cause. And I’m not gonna lie to you, learning the truth was hard. But those things are never easy. And yeah there might be a chance that your family is no longer out there but, and this is officially making me the sap of the century…” Adora let out a small, wet giggle at her girlfriend’s banter, which made Catra’s heart all but melt. “But, is this negative stuff really what you want to focus on when there’s a whole world of possibility out there?”

Surprisingly, Adora’s laugh doubled at that. “You sound like Perfuma!” Catra’s face molded into a grin as she reciprocated the laughter.

“I know! Those princesses and their stupid positivity stuff are a really bad influence! I might as well be prancing around Brightmoon with pink flowers in my hair at this point!” the magicat declared, increasing Adora’s laughing fit as her own giggles joined along.

Moments passed before the two finally let out gleeful sighs, and Catra was able to finish her sentence.

“All I’m saying is if going out there and looking for answers is what you want, then I say go for it. And yes, there is a chance that what you’ll find might not be what you expected, but think of all the other possibilities. Would you really want to miss out on those?”

Adora took a moment to consider Catra’s words.

As a matter of fact, no. She didn’t want to lose that chance. She shook her head.

“No. I don’t. I just…” Adora’s words hung in her throat for a moment. “I guess I’m just worried about what we might find out there… if even we’ll find anything. I just don’t know if this is a risk worth taking, you know?”

“Thyra was a risk worth taking remember? If you want to do this Adora, then let’s do it. And on our way, we’ll help that prince get his parents back and save a planet.”

Adora eyed Catra, suddenly fearing that they might be going in over their heads. After all, they never knew what to expect when it came to First Ones. “Wait. Are you sure about this? I mean… Those are the First Ones we’re talking about. This could be dangerous.”   
  
At this, Catra scoffed, cocking a brow.

“Ha! As if we’ve never even heard of danger before.”

When Adora still seemed unsure, Catra’s expression softened once more into one of reassurance.

“Hey, don’t worry about this. I’m sure we can take whatever’s out there. I mean, not to brag or anything but we defeated Horde Prime, the single most dangerous threat to the universe. So whatever wimp is threatening Eternia doesn’t stand a chance against the full might of the Best Friend Squad!” Catra extricated herself playfully from Adora and paused menacingly, unsheathing her claws, a crafty smile on her face.

And at that moment all her worries melted away, as Adora couldn’t help her giggles at how cute her girlfriend was, then leaned in until her nose was inches away from Catra’s, interlacing their fingers together. Catra’s cheeks went beet red, and she barely managed to take her claws back in.

“You know,” Adora whispered into her ear, causing the hackles on the back of her neck to shoot up, “You’re very cute when you act all cocky.”

Catra felt a shiver rock her from the inside out and she couldn’t hold back. She freed one of her hands from Adora’s and pulled her in by the waist, closing the distance between them as she pressed her lips on the blonde’s, relishing in how soft and welcoming they were. They both kissed the other with growing passion, holding onto each other, their lips locked in a dance, until their tongues found each other, and Adora gasped at the contact, the sound of it passing through Catra like electricity. She felt like she could kiss the blonde for ages to come, and she definitely intended on making this moment last longer, and maybe even taking things up a notch, if they had time. She moved her lips to Adora’s strong jawline, and kept going until she reached her pulse point. She let her hand wander up into the folds of the blonde’s shirt and slip under it, causing the blonde to shudder under her touch as she caressed Adora’s toned abs, hand moving higher and higher until…

“Hey, if you two are done up here, Glimmer said she wanted you back in the meeting room pronto.”

Catra had found herself in several situations in which she felt like she wanted to gut that stupid bird horse, and right now was one of them, along with a nice “Glimmer-icide” as she’d come to call it. The magicat broke the kiss, and turned to the horse flying overhead, her eyes shooting daggers.

“I’d scram if I were you, bird-horse, unless you want your wings scratched off. And tell Sparkles that if she wants us in the meeting room, she’ll have to wait, cause we’re not going back until we’re done.” Adora laughed as Swiftwind and Catra shared death stares, before the horse finally flew off, muttering under his breath.

“Now where were we?” the magicat asked, closing the distance between the two again.

Their kiss was cut short by Adora's uncontrolled laughter as she imagined Glimmer’s reaction to Catra’s relayed message, and as much as she wanted this to last indefinitely, she knew they only had a few moments before Glimmer appeared and teleported them back into the meeting room, so she stopped Catra before things went any further, deciding that this was not done just yet.

“Catra I think we should go back, or Glimmer’s really gonna murder us,” Adora said, slightly breathless from the kiss.

“Not if I murder her first.” Catra suggested, a malicious look on her face.   
  
“Catra.”   
  
“Fine,” the magicat finally conceded, “But I’m not done with you just yet. We’ll go back to this later okay.” She asked, bumping their foreheads together and finally slipping her hand away from Adora’s abdomen.

“My thoughts exactly,” said the blonde, and they made their way back to the meeting room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so that was chapter 3. I really hope you enjoyed it and I'm excited to hear your thoughts. As always, chapter 4 can be expected around this time next week. 
> 
> Now, another issue I wanted to address about this chapter was Hordak's presence in Brightmoon (And an overview on the clones in general):  
> Now, of course, the clones that ended up on Etheria didn't disappear after the final battle (Obviously. The only home they've ever known is now a tree floating in space). Additionally, following the destruction of the hivemind, those clones were just as ignorant and disoriented as Wrong Hordak was when he got disconnected. So, our big bad bois were now big confused bois and no one was really sure what to do about it. Until Entrapta stepped in and offered all the clones to come and take residence at the (Mostly empty) Crypto Castle, in return to them helping around. Hordak, now back in his own mind and no longer wanting to take over Etheria (since he had just helped kill the person that was fueling his desire for world domination all along), decided to aid Entrapta with the handling of the clones, helping his brethren to adapt and explaining to them whatever they needed clarification about. Wrong Hordak pitched in as well. Entrapta took back all her 'new friends' (and Hordak) back to Dryl where the clones immediately adapted, and began helping around the Castle (what with Entrapta's old army of robots now destroyed). After some time, the reformed clones began helping with the rebuilding and restoration operations around Etheria (Once the locals warmed up to their presence).  
> Now, concerning Hordak, he was obviously not fully pardoned for all his crimes, but he wasn't punished either since the Alliance considered his ordeal with Prime enough, and they acknowledged his part in helping bring the guy down (I.E. the destruction of Prime's living body). Instead, the Alliance decided to leave the decision to those who were harmed and/or who suffered significant losses at the hands of the Horde. So, it is reasonable that Hordak was banned from entering Salineas, Thyra, The Scorpion Lands (former Fright Zone), The Kingdom of Snows, Plumeria, Mystacor, etc... He was only allowed entry into Brightmoon under specific circumstances, such as those in this chapter, and he was subject to rigorous surveillance. And of course, he was allowed in Dryl, as it was his and his brethren's new home.
> 
> As always, I'll be glad to answer any questions you may have in the comments, so long as the answer isn't a spoiler and I hope to see you next week❤😁


	4. Will you answer it’s call?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam and Isabella receive their long-awaited answer. Meanwhile, Darla makes a new volley through space.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, Chapter 4, here we go.
> 
> We're coming closer and closer to meeting out big Bad of the story, Lord Andrew, the estranged nephew of the queen, as well as the mysterious royals in captivity. But how did Eternia hold up without its ruler for the past 22 years, you ask?  
> Good question.  
> for the first 20 years (A time-frame that ends at the season 5 finale and begins 20 years prior to that), the planet is under the Galactic Horde's occupation, Horde Prime considering it a defeated planet but refraining from destroying it for reasons that will be revealed in time.  
> During the two years marked by Horde Prime's disappearance and Andrew's rise to power, the Council of Regency and High Defence (The CoR for short) takes over.
> 
> What is the CoR?  
> It's a governmental council comprising of five members each hailing from one of Eternia's five provinces (The Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western provinces as well as the capital, Eternos, which is its own province.) The council is presided over by a senior councilor, usually, the one hailing from the capital (unless they decline the position whereas it goes to the Northern province hailing councilor). The CoR is in charge only when there are no potential reagents available, as in when the Royal Family is:  
> 1- On leave due to a familial matter (I.E. A birth, death, wedding, vacation, etc...). In cases like these, the queen appoints the council to take over, and gives them a select set of directives that they must follow while ruling the country in her absence.  
> 2- Unavailable due to a crisis or emergency (I.E. A coup, a war, etc...). In cases like these, the council is allowed to take over as a temporary emergency measure. Their primary goal in such cases is to protect and ensure the well-being of the Eternians.   
> Currently, the CoR holds the reigns of power on Eternia, but they have no right to go against a royal unless they break the law. This comes as an explanation as to why they cannot go after or against Adam in any way while it is their duty to go after Andrew.
> 
> Aside from this, we're getting more "Catra's parents" content in this chapter (I think you'll enjoy this 😊😊). And speaking of Catra, I recently wrote a one-shot about her pre-horde backstory and her 1st meeting with Adora titled "You're my Hope" (Here's the link if you wanna check it out "https://archiveofourown.org/works/29244528" ).
> 
> In terms of notes, I think that will be all for the day.
> 
> I really hope you enjoy ^o^  
> Your Kudos and comments are highly appreciated ❤

Isabella practically sprinted through the halls of Orwin Castle, calling for Adam, whom she finally found after ten minutes of frantic searching, sitting in the music hall, strumming a few random notes on his guitar.

“Adam! Oh, there you are!” Isabella panted, holding onto the doorframe with a hand on her chest to calm her racing heart.

“Bella? What’s going on? Are we under attack?” The prince jumped from his seat, setting his guitar down, and ran to the princess, trying to understand the problem.

“Just… gimme… a minute…Okay. I’m good.” Isabella took a minute to catch her breath, then quickly relayed the good news, her face twisting into a giant grin. “We’re not under attack silly. We got another answer! And they agreed!” She shouted happily. Adam’s mind took a second to register what he had just been told.

“An answer?” And then his face shifted to a wide smile and he practically picked Isabella into a hug, twirling in the corridor, screaming “WE GOT ANOTHER ANSWER?!”

“Yes! We did!” Isabella squealed with joy as Adam carried her all over the music hall, only letting her down when they got near the stage, both laughing giddily all the way.

“But… I thought all the living factions had said no.” Adam recalled, reality slowly catching up to him.

“The answer came from Etheria, Adam. I don’t know how this is even possible. I didn’t think there were any First Ones left on It.”   
  
“Etheria? Wasn’t it abandoned after the Heart of Etheria Project failed or something?” Adam asked, growing more and more confused by the minute.   
  
“It was abandoned, not because the Heart of Etheria failed, but because it turned out to be extremely dangerous,” Bella explained, sitting down on the nearest chair.   
  
“Okay, but that doesn’t explain why the answer came from there.”  
  
“I… Oh, my stars. What are we even doing here?” Bella suddenly chastised, standing up and grabbing Adam’s hand, pulling him out of the music hall. “Come on, I’ll show you the reply.”

Bella and Adam made their way to the communications room, where tens of communicators sat behind desks, receiving, sending, and relaying messages from all over the planetary system, and beyond. They moved to the biggest communication panel in the room, the interplanetary communication system, which could also send and receive messages to and from space, where a young communicator moved to lend the prince her seat. Adam thanked her and took it, then proceeded to read and re-read the words written on the screen:

_Dear Prince Adam,  
Greetings from the airways of Etheria. We have received your message and have sent you the aid you require. A team of six of Etheria’s finest. Our ETA is six days, fourteen hours 37 minutes, and 18 seconds. Please send us the proper landing coordinates so that we may meet you in the appropriate location. Thank you._

_In hopes that we meet soon,  
Queen Glimmer of Brightmoon._

_*(Please note that only one of us is a First One)*_   
  


Adam had to hold from screaming with joy as he read the message. Instead, his building emotion came out as giddy laughter, and he patted the communicator on the shoulder and wrapped an arm around Isabella’s, careful not to hurt either. “We're not out of the game yet everyone! We still have a chance at this!” Adam declared.

Seeing Adam’s excitement, Isabella couldn’t help but laugh, while the occupiers of the communications room cheered for their prince.

“Oh, this deserves a celebration!” Bella began, clasping her hands together, before her face turned sour. “Wait. We’re having guests. OH, MY STARS! I have to get everything ready. ADAM! What do I do!? They’re _Etherians_! I don’t what they’re like! What if they speak a different language? What kind of food do they like? And normal or sparkling water? And… Oh, what should we do to welcome them? Do you think a… a welcoming committee? A parade? A ceremonial recital? Banners and a firework show? Or maybe…”

Adam chuckled at the princess’s antics then took her hands in his, a calming gesture intended to put a stop to her rambling.

“Okay, Princess, slow down. First of all, we’re in the middle of a war between the council of regency and a crazed lunatic, a situation in the middle of which I’m caught, trying with a plan of my own to save my parents, while keeping it secret from them both, so no flashy welcomes. No parade, no banners, no recital, and _definitely_ no fireworks. But the welcoming committee’s not completely off the line, as long as it’s nothing too flashy. As for the rest, don’t we have people for that? The staff can do their own research and adjust the guest quarters accordingly. All you have to do is give your orders. Okay. No pressure, right?”  
  
“Right… You’re right. But can we at least handle the welcoming committee? I just want it to be perfect.”  
  
Adam laughed. “Fine. We can handle the welcoming committee. And as for the languages, judging from that message, I firmly believe that we will be able to understand each other perfectly.”   
  
“Okay then, genius. Ahh man… just imagine… things could be fixed in the next two weeks. Your mom back on the throne, Andrew firmly behind bars, never to be seen again, and all our worries thrown far behind us. Doesn’t that sound good?” Isabella said, patting Adam on the shoulder, before turning to leave the communications room. “Well. I’ll leave you to it then. See you at diner, sunshine. I’ve got orders to give!”  
  
“You know you can stop with the nicknames, bubblegum.” Adam retorted loudly, pulling some hushed giggles from the communicators who were all too familiar with the nicknames the young prince and princess had given themselves.   
  
“Not until you stop yourself, sunshine!” Isabella shot back, before disappearing into the hallway.

“Pfft… Banners and a firework show…” Adam mumbled to himself, laughing as he exited the room, and headed to his quarters.

* * *

One thing that Catra had always liked about Entrapta was her innovativeness, she thought, as she sat on one of the beanbags in Darla’s newly refurbished observatory, Adora’s blanket wrapped around her shoulders and her mother’s diary open in her lap, while Melog snoozed at her feet, their purring reverberating across the room.

Catra wondered as she stared out of the wide glass dome how Entrapta had possibly managed to rebuild the entire ship using the foraged technology from Horde Prime’s old armada, somehow putting it all together to transform what once looked like a ship that would never again rise an inch above the ground, to a piece of technological wonder, almost five times its old size and capable of transporting them all over the universe and back.

As Catra stared at the billions of stars above her head, she wondered what time it was on Etheria, and just how long it had been since Adora had told her to go ahead to the observatory, while she stayed at the main control centers, finishing up a few things with Bow, promising that she’d catch up in a few. Catra had always hated this one thing about space; no day or night to tell the passage of time. Nothing to indicate how quickly or how slowly they were moving.

Deciding that it was a better distraction than any while she waited for Adora, Catra grabbed the diary, and flipped through until she reached an entry dating back to when she was around one year old.

_Dear Diary,  
Today, Catra and I tried to bake cookies together. It was a very messy experience. The little terror got flour all over herself and the counter, then decided that wearing the mixing bowl as a hat was a great idea. When I finally managed to remove the bowl off of her head, however, she gave me the sweetest smile. It made my heart melt. I wish I could’ve photographed her, but she only ever stood still for a minute, and leaving her for even that little could spell disaster. After cleaning up the mess she made, we were finally able to bake those cookies. From her expression, after she poured her half-cup of brown sugar into the bowl without spilling a single grain, I could tell she was very proud of herself. After the cookies were done baking, we decorated them (Learning the word “Sprinkles” along the way.), and then it was bath-time.   
__It was… as hectic as usual, with the same amount of crying, screaming, hissing, and scratching. And as usual, the bathroom was left a complete mess after we were done. I did however manage to give her a cute little braid after brushing her big wild hair. She seemed very happy with it, messing with the ends of it until she eventually got bored.  
If there was ever a limit to how much love a creature could muster for anything, then I have now clearly passed it. My love grows for this kitten every day. From the way she smiles at me when I pick her up, to her little happy laughs, to her small adorable purrs when she cuddles up to me and falls asleep, I love every little thing in her. It’s a real shocker how I’ve only ever described her eyes once in here. I guess I’m always so busy writing about everything else, but they are undeniably her best feature. One golden yellow, the other light turquoise, her eyes are fascinating, and one of the rarest pairs in Thyra. It is a bit of a miracle that she was born with such intricately colored eyes. And those adorable things are magical. There’s always this curious sparkle to them… this edge of excitement lighting them up when she discovers something new for the first time, or tries a new food, or also follows her little tail as it swishes idly in front of her face ( Those moments are the ones that make me laugh the most). Everything about her is adorable. I wonder how she’ll be later when she grows up.   
In non-Catra business, today, I managed to get myself enough free time to finish retracing our old family tree. I went as far back as 1500 years ago, and turns out, my family is descended from a member of the old royal family of Thyra, which could explain how my daughter ended up with a turquoise/yellow eye combo. I also finally finished my studies on our runestone, The Eye of Thyra. It’s honestly a fascinating subject, one that I can’t wait to elaborate on further, and one that has fascinated me ever since Halfmoon. Oh well, it’s getting pretty late now, I believe it’s high time to call it a night.  
Until tomorrow, and a new adventure…  
  
_Just like many times before, Catra had found herself shedding a few tears by the end of the entry.

The way her mother wrote about her sometimes, the way she described her felt like she was talking about an entirely different person, yet still was familiar to her in a way that nothing else was, like the ghost of a long-awaited warm hug.

Sometimes, Catra strained her memory, trying to remember these little moments.

Sometimes, a few fleeting images fluttered across her mind like a dream, but the majority of the time, she couldn’t find them. There was only so much that one could remember after all.

So instead, using what she did remember as a reference, she would try to imagine those scenes, and would keep a mental image of them in her mind. She closed the diary, holding it close to her heart, as her eyes fluttered to a close, trying to keep her flow of emotions at bay.

She wondered if any part of that small, happy child had remained in her, or if the Horde had taken her away, leaving Catra as nothing but a bitter, empty shell of what she once was.

In a way or the other, life had torn away that innocent kitten, and left her with nothing but her inner demons.

What would her parents think if they saw what she had come close to becoming? Would they have still loved her the same way?

A small part of her, perhaps this lost innocence, that little unhurt child inside her, wanted to scream yes. But what if that small part was wrong?

Tears stung at her eyelids, crossing through and streaming down her face, and she wiped them away. She never asked for any of what had happened to her. Life had just had other plans for her, from the very beginning. Life had always been harsh on her.

But if there was one thing that life had done right, she thought, it had been giving her the person she loved the most in the entire universe. The one who always knew how to make her feel better. Her sunny blonde idiot. Without Adora, she probably… no she definitely wouldn’t be alive right now. She definitely wouldn’t be the person she was today.

She let her mind linger on that thought as she snuggled further into Adora’s blanket and let the ship’s low humming and Melog’s purrs lull her to sleep.

Adora truly was the greatest gift life had given her. Adora was the only family she had left. Her one true home.

* * *

Catra was woken sometime later (she couldn’t tell how long) by slight, soft pressure being applied rhythmically to her cheek.

She opened her eyes slightly to be met with wafts of blonde hair, and smiled when she recognized her girlfriend’s blue eyes, and registered the gentle caresses on her cheek.

“Hey. You know that’s my blanket right?” Adora joked as she sat next to Catra and took the magicat in her arm, setting down a tray on the coffee table next to them.

Catra’s head still hadn’t cleared up from its drowsiness as she nuzzled into the crook of Adora’s arm and broke into a purr.

“Heh, you’re not getting it back.” She lazily murmured, tightening the blanket around her shoulder.

Adora giggled fondly and wrapped her hands around the smaller girl, spooning her in, and they melted into the beanbag. “

So what took you so long anyway?” Catra asked, her voice barely high enough to reach Adora’s ears.

“Bow and I had to chart our course according to the new coordinates the Eternians sent us for landing," the blonde explained. "I still can’t believe we’re actually going. Oh, hey, I brought us some hot cocoa by the way. And Entrapta sent a few tiny scones our way too.” 

“How nice of her,” Catra admitted, yawning and sitting up, her mother’s diary falling from her lap and landing on the floor, right by her feet.

“Oops,” Catra said, leaning down to pick it up, setting it on the table next to the now empty tray of hot cocoa mugs, both of which were now in Adora’s hands, while the plate of mini-scones rested haphazardly on her legs, swaying dangerously as she moved.

The blonde handed her one of the mugs then steadied the plate with her free hand, and they both settled back into the beanbag, leaning against each other, and Catra shuffled the blanket until it wrapped them both.

“So, how far are we from our destination?” Catra asked, taking a sip from her mug. It was delicious which instantly proved that it hadn’t been Adora’s doing. Her girl was great at a lot of things but cooking was definitely not one of them.

“Uh, we’re about halfway there," Adora estimated, taking a bite from her scone. "Entrapta said we’re crossing past a part of the constellation Serenia tomorrow, which means it won’t be too long after that.” 

“Great. So, where are Entrapta, Sparkles, and Arrow Boy?” 

“Oh, they’re coming up here in a second. Bow still had a few things to clear up with Entrapta in the control centers, and Glimmer’s on a call with Micah." Adora's voice took on a worried tone as she added "Hopefully, things are going good at Brightmoon.”

“I’m just glad bird-horse didn’t tag along. Let them suffer his presence back home, I seriously need a break from it .” Adora laughed as her girlfriend began mimicking Swiftwind’s antics mockingly, almost spilling the contents of her mug.

Just then, the door whooshed open and Glimmer walked in. “Sounds like you two are having fun.”

She walked over and sat on the three-seater couch across from the beanbag Adora and Catra sat on, nursing a mug of her own.

“Well, we were before you came in.” Catra teased, flashing her tongue out on a fuming Glimmer.

Teasing her was disgustingly easy Catra thought, laughing as Glimmer began to mutter under her breath, while Adora tried to cover her increasing laughter in the inside of her mug. 

“Aww come on Glimmer, you know I’m just teasing, right?” Catra said, emphasizing the false guilt in her eyes.

“Just for the record Catra, you are _not_ funny,” The queen affirmed sternly.

“Then why are you smiling, Sparkles?” Catra cocked a brow and smiled smugly, which only served to infuriate Glimmer further, despite her lips breaking into the occasional small smile.

Catra wiggled her eyebrows at Glimmer, which finally broke through the queen’s walls, coaxing a giggle out of her, while only serving to double Adora’s laughter, which she wasn’t even trying to hide anymore.

A few minutes later, Bow and Entrapta joined them, and the little group was at its full, and they spent the evening fooling around, messing with and teasing each other, passing the time as Darla carried them further towards their destination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was chapter 4. I hope you liked it.  
> I've been a little busy lately with life in general, plus writing the Catra one-shot and writer's block's been kicking my ass for a while so writing has been a little hard, but no changes will be made to the schedule as of now. I'll keep you updated on the writing process and if or if not I'll have to make a schedule change, but for now, there are no changes to report.  
> As usual, you can expect chapter 5 this time next Monday.
> 
> I hope to see you then 😁❤


	5. And I burn like a forest fire.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the past 22 years, the royal family has been imprisoned, held back by the clutches of evil. For the past 22 years, a mother has been ripped from her children, without a word of reassurance, or a scrap of news. For the past 22 years, a son has been torn from his mother, and darkness has festered inside him, driving him close to madness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well guys, here we are. Chapter 5.
> 
> This chapter introduces a whole new façade of the story, but mainly, we meet our big bad boy Andrew today, as well as the famous Royal House of Grayskull (Or what's left of them anyway). 
> 
> To put it plainly, Lord Andrew, ex-member of the House Grayskull and estranged son of Lady Iseadora of the House of Grayskull, did not have a good childhood. It wasn't anything 'Catra' levels of bad, but oh-boy it was bad, and it left our boy scarred, traumatized, and hurt beyond repair. Sometimes, inaction itself can hurt leagues more than any other form of abuse.
> 
> Meanwhile, Queen Oriana, her husband king Norum, and her sister Lady Isedora (Pronounce Ee-zuh-do-raa) have spent the last 2 decades and 2 years stuck in prison with no access to the outside world whatsoever, and it has been nerve-wracking, to say the least, as well as varying degrees of traumatizing. 
> 
> Now, while "Iseadora" and "Andrew" are purely original characters that I made up for this story, we do have an existing version of Adam's parents out there: King Randor and Queen Marlena of Eternia. To avoid any confusion, no, my characters "Oriana" and "Norum" are in no aspect based on "Randor" and "Marlena", since their design and characteristics (from their outer looks to their deep personality) didn't exactly match what I was going with for this story, and in fact, proved slightly problematic (seeing as I changed so many aspects of Eternian life and government to fit the new, and more modern universe of today's "She-Ra and the Princesses of Power"). Therefore, "Oriana" and "Norum", the queen and king consort of Eternia respectively, are also considered OCs, and are, as previously stated, in no way related to, or based on "Marlena" and "Randor".
> 
> And so, with that, I conclude today's notes.
> 
> I really hope you enjoy ^o^  
> Your Kudos and comments are highly appreciated ❤

The sunset view from atop Mount Kro’na was certainly a wonderful one, but seeing it every day for the last 22 years had made it lose its charm. And as the sun melted deeper and deeper into the Crystal Sea below the mountain, reflecting shades of red, orange, and gold into the sea and sky, the Queen wondered how many times she would see that sunset again. For how much longer would she, her sister, and her husband be trapped inside one of their own castles?

The fortress of Valea, where they were being held, was never meant to be a prison. It had been built in a more militaristic style, but, it was still a castle. And Queen Oriana had seen quite enough of it.

22 years ago, Horde Prime had chosen it, deeming it an excellent prison to hold the royal family, or what had been left of it anyway.

And 20 years later, the Queen’s own nephew, her sister’s child, had rebelled against his family when it was the last thing anyone had expected of him, after he had been assigned armies, which he claimed he would use to free the royals following Horde Prime’s mysterious demise.

In the end, he had betrayed everyone. He had used the armies he was given to take over the fortress and he’d begun a war. A campaign to take the throne for himself. Nobody knew what his intentions were.

Neither did the Queen who now sat alone in the main hall of the prison she shared with her family, staring wistfully out of the window.

Oriana’s mind began to wander, her thoughts now going to her children. The children she hadn’t seen for 22 years. Her son, a beautiful young boy, her sweet little Adam… And… her daughter… Even the memory of her was too painful for the queen.

The young princess had been stolen from her when she was only 7 months old, on the same day she had given up the fight against Prime’s forces, and let him take the planet, even when her forces could’ve easily won the battle. The princess, however, had been taken by an outside force; one which everyone believed had disappeared a thousand years ago, who ripped the infant princess away from the queen before her very eyes, probably never to be seen again.

Oriana wondered what had become of her children. The pain in her heart was slightly easier to bear, knowing that at least one of them, Adam, was safe. But there would always be emptiness in her heart, a void which only her daughter could ever fill again.

Suddenly, a flutter of footsteps was heard coming from the adjacent corridor, growing louder and louder before stopping right in front of the holographic door to their holding cell, the technology being a remnant of Horde Prime’s days. The opacity of the door lowered and through it, Oriana saw her estranged nephew staring back at her.

“Andrew? What are you doing here?” Oriana asked, with an edge of defiance to her voice.

“Hello to you too, my dear aunt. Don’t you know it’s rude not to greet guests properly?” The young man replied, his voice landing like silky venom on the queen’s ears.

She held her head proudly high as she spoke.

“One only greets those that one is happy to see, nephew," the queen stated, wearing neutrality on her face. "I ask you again; what are you doing here? And if you come to me with more questions about my son, then you’re wasting your time. I have nothing to give.”

“Oh no. Unlike what you think, it’s not always about you here, aunt Oriana. I’m here to speak to my mother.”

“I think Iseadora has made it crystal clear that she doesn’t want to see you.” Oriana retorted, with fiery resolve.

“I believe you’ve misunderstood me. It was not a suggestion.” Andrew seemed surprisingly calm compared to other times he had spoken to Oriana. Nevertheless, his eyes still betrayed that edge of madness to him, and an atmosphere of instability hung about him.

“Mother? I know you’re here. I know you can hear me. I only want a word. Will you really deny me that?” Andrew shouted at the door.

A door opened behind Oriana and King Norum, Oriana’s husband stepped out and walked towards his wife, looking Andrew dead in the eye.

“Your mother doesn’t want to see you, Andrew. So I would advise you to leave now, before things escalate.” The king laid a hand on his wife’s shoulder, both finding power in each other as they braced to face their nephew’s anger, which they could see growing.

“Now listen here you two. I will soon be the king of this planet, as soon as I’ve gotten rid of that stupid resistance and wiped you and your son off this plane of existence. But I don’t want my mother to suffer the consequences of your actions. If anyone’s to blame for me having had to grow up without her, it’s you, aunt Oriana. You’re the one who forced us to surrender after losing your daughter, acting like a weak, selfish coward when our armies could’ve won. Eternia had to endure 20 years of humiliation because of and your stupid decisions. So believe me when I say that when I get the opportunity, I will wipe you and your blasted family off the face of the planet.”

Andrew’s words were like ice-cold daggers as they pierced through the queen’s defenses, breaking down her walls. Her body tensed up and tears welled in her eyes, for she strongly believed in every word Andrew had just said. She'd certainly heard those words before, yes. But hearing it being said this way, so bluntly and so openly, she couldn’t help but break under the weight of it all. She tried her best to hold her composure, however, not wanting to show weakness in front of her enemy. The last thing Oriana wanted to be stolen from her was her dignity. She’d already lost almost everything else.

Suddenly, the same door through which the king had come, opened once again, and out of it, Andrew’s mother emerged, looking distraught.

“Andrew Phoebus Grayskull! How dare you?!” She seethed. “So long as you have a part in this… this treachery, I will never join you. You hear me? _Never_! Did you know that hadn’t it been for your aunt’s decision, Horde Prime would have killed every last First One on this planet, you included? Did you know that? Honestly, you astonish me. What happened to the sweet child that loved nothing more than to garden and spend his days playing with his cousins? What happened to the boy who cried tears of joy when he met the baby princess for the first time?”

Andrew’s eyes were solemn as he stared into those of his mother, seeing nothing but anger and grief. He turned his back to the door unable to hold their stare.

“That boy? Heh. That boy was forced to grow up without a mother. As for the tears, can you really confirm that they were tears of joy, mother?”

No answer. Andrew tried one last, desperate time.

“Mother, please! I beg you. Join me. We could achieve so much together if you would just see reason and come with me! This could all finally be over, you- you wouldn’t have to live like this anymore. You wouldn’t have to live in humiliation anymore. I can give you so much more than any of them ever could! Please, mother… we could rule Eternia together!”

Andrew gave the royal Archmagus one last burning, pleading look. In return, he only saw infinite pain and betrayal.

“Leave, Lord Andrew. We've had this conversation before, and you know my answer very well. We have nothing left to say to each other,” Iseadora seethed, her eyes blazing with unspoken emotions. 

And with that, Andrew walked away, a searing ire eating at him from the inside out. The door to their prison grew opaque once more and Oriana finally allowed her tears to flow, silent and agonizingly painful. Any mention of her daughter usually twisted up her gut and made her ache, but this one… this one had made her shatter from the inside.

“Oh Oriana, I… I don’t know what to say…” Iseadora began but her sister raised a hand to quiet her.

“No don’t apologize. Every word he said was true. This mess is my fault.” The piercing blue eyes of the queen shone brightly with her flowing emotions. Her husband sighed and held her in his arms, trying to lessen the sting, if only a little.

And to say that they weren’t all in pain would be a lie.

Oriana and Norum grieved their long lost, separated family, while Iseadora held inside her the burning scar left by the betrayal of her only child.

But in suffering, they found solace in each other. In suffering, together, hand in hand, they held on, as they had always done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was chapter 5. I hope you enjoyed it. 
> 
> As always, chapter 6 will be released this time next Monday and I hope to see you then, and as usual, I'm here to answer any questions you might have be it on the story, or on the new chapter.
> 
> Have a good one 😁❤


	6. With open arms and open hearts.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the first time in generations, a peaceful meeting between Eternians and Etherians is established. But with it come all the old wounds of the distant past. 
> 
> But is it as distant as it claims to be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, chapter 6, here we go.
> 
> Even though I have a lot to say about today's chapter, I will leave the explanation to the characters themselves. However, as always, I will be there to answer any questions you may have in the comments. 
> 
> Aside from the story itself, I have news concerning the posting schedule. Even though I said two chapters ago that I would not make any significant changes to my posting schedule, it has recently been brought to my attention that posting on Sundays instead of Mondays is much more fitting in my overall weekly timetable. Therefore, from the next chapter on, updates will be made on Sundays rather than Mondays (without a specific time).   
> I am currently writing the last 6 chapters of the story, meaning that as soon as I can finish them, a new change to the schedule might be made, in which I might start posting two chapters a week instead of just one.
> 
> Concerning the notes, that will be all for today.
> 
> I really hope you enjoy ^o^  
> Your Kudos and comments are highly appreciated ❤

Adora stared out at the view before her as the ship flew past moon after moon, the group's destination now within reach. Her eyes darted from moons to the main planet which looked about Etheria’s size, only slightly bigger. For all she knew, this could be her home planet… Her parents could be here… Or she could just be running towards a fool’s errand, driving herself and all those she cared about into unknown danger. Suddenly, an alert popped on the screen of the control board. Ten minutes and they would be landing. Ten minutes of Entrapta’s uncontrollable screams of excitement as well.

_Preparing to cross planetary atmosphere. Please regain your seats and fasten your seatbelts._

“Alright, everyone. Time to buckle up,” Bow said enthusiastically as everyone regained their seats, Catra looking slightly dejected.   
  
“Ugh, I hate landings,” she whined as she lowered herself onto the seat adjacent to Adora’s and strapped herself in, gesturing Melog to jump onto her lap once she was done.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Adora assured her, clasping her own seatbelt in place.  
  
“Yeah right.”

“ _I’m convinced that it will not be as unbearable as last time. You are seated this time. I can also sense the others’ excitement,_ ” Melog affirmed, before noticing Catra’s growing discomfort and adding, _“You seem anxious. Is there a specific reason? Can I be of any assistance?”_

The ship lurched forward as it crossed through the outer layers of the moon’s atmosphere, and Catra felt her gut twist, and nausea rise through her. A panicked squeak escaped her lips.

“Melog, I’m really gonna need you to shut up,” she said, her voice strained and her eyes shut tightly. Suddenly, she felt a hand wrap soothingly around hers, and looked to see Adora staring back at her reassuringly. She took the blonde’s hand in hers and held onto it tightly, fearing that the growing pressure around them might tear them apart.

A few seconds later, however, she could tell that the worst of it had passed, as the pressure around them began to release, and the ship slowly touched the ground. She breathed deep, her nerves calming and the woozy feeling in her gut slowly receding.

_Landing complete._

The ship’s engines slowed to halt and the gangplank lowered with a quiet whoosh.

“Interspatial expedition number 2, day 7, hour 9: WE ARE ABOUT TO INITIATE FIRST CONTACT!” Entrapta shouted into her recorder. “Oh, this is fascinating! The planet consists of a system of inhabited moons and the mainland, which, from the scans I took seems to house the main structures, but right now we have made landing on the moon of Orwin, and are about to be the first Etherians to make contact with First Ones outside of our home planet, an endeavor that we as a people are the first to achieve! AAAHHH THIS IS SO EXCI-”

“Entrapta, we’re all excited, but how about we stop the recording for just a second so we can greet them properly. You know, to be polite.” Bow sounded calm, but the twitch in his eyes betrayed frustration that he struggled to contain.   
  
“But we are making the first contact! _We are making history_! I HAVE to keep a log,” Entrapta argued. Noticing that Bow’s patience, which had always seemed pretty scarce when they were in space, was now reaching its limits, Catra flew to the rescue.

“And nobody has a problem with that, just try to be a little quiet okay?” she proposed, propping her elbow on Bow’s slacked shoulder, giving her friend a genuine smile.

“Oh, working under low sound conditions. You got it! I’ll be as quiet as possible,” the scientist whispered.

Catra shot Bow a look that said “you owe me one” then went to check on Adora who was standing next to the ship’s entry, her hand hovering over the dial pad, looking hesitant.

“What are you waiting for?” Catra asked, gently setting a hand on her girlfriend’s shoulder.  
  
“I… I just…” Adora’s voice trailed off. She didn’t know why she was hesitating.  
  
“Come on. Open it.”  
  
“Are we sure we want to do this though?” the blonde asked, backtracking for a moment. _We can’t turn back now_ , she thought. _But what if this was a bad idea_? _What if something terrible happens?_ _What if we don’t make it_? _What if_ -

Cutting through Adora’s anxious spiral like a sharp knife, Catra spoke again, providing much-needed assurance.

“Adora, I’m sure everything will be okay. And if things aren’t okay, we’ll just book it out of here. We’ll be fine. I promise.” Catra gave Adora a look of utter reassurance and trust. She wanted her to believe that they could handle whatever they were throwing themselves into.q

“Okay,” Adora finally conceded, not quite convinced yet but sort of getting there, thinking _we might as well since we’re already here_ , and hit the opening command. And to be real, she was curious to get to know her people (though she still didn’t exactly think of them as such yet).

The doors hovered open, and sunlight filled the ship's entry hall, stinging everyone's eyes a little. They walked out of the ship, breathing in the fresh breeze that welcomed them as they descended. Once they were firmly on the ground, two people approached them: A very formally dressed young man and woman.

Okay. So, at first glance, the First Ones seemed pretty normal. Not quite the heavenly super-race that everyone back home had made them out to be.

Once the two groups were within speaking distance, the young man cleared his throat. “Welcome to Orwin, uh, fellow Etherians. Allow me to begin the introductions; I am Prince Adam, and this is my friend, Princess Isabella, regent of Orwin. It is an honor to have you here with us, and I can’t possibly thank you enough for agreeing to help us,” Prince Adam opened, sounding slightly unsure of his words, and ended his welcome speech with a formal yet slightly awkward bow.

Princess Isabella imitated him, with a little more grace to her movements, and they both rose in unison, just as the prince added, "No but seriously, thanks. Oh and, call me Adam."

Adora stepped forward. “Uh, hi. It’s very nice to meet you too, and you really didn’t have to go to all this trouble. We’re happy to help however we can,” the blonde greeted, then in quick succession introduced Glimmer, Bow, and Entrapta to the prince and princess.

The two parties of royals shook hands, with Entrapta being a little overzealous with her greeting then promptly pulling away. The princess then produced a tablet from her considerable mass of hair and began typing furiously, then babbled something into her recorder excitedly behind Bow and Glimmer.

Adam and Isabella turned towards Adora in unison, anticipating her to introduce whoever was standing behind her next.

“This is my girlfriend, Catra,” Adora continued, moving a little to give Catra some space to step forward.

And although she had more to say, her words never made it past her mouth, noticing the shocked stares Adam and Isabella were giving Catra, with Adam’s half outstretched hand hanging awkwardly in the middle.

Adam looked outright shocked while hints of fear could be read on the princess’s face.

“I… uh… Do I have something on my face?” Catra whispered to Adora, checking her limbs to see if she hadn’t accidentally unsheathed her claws. Not a single claw in sight, and her clothes seemed okay. So why were they looking at her like they’d seen a ghost?

Adam let out a high-pitched hum, which betrayed his hidden distress. “I… wow… You… Y…” the prince stammered, sweat beads forming on his forehead. He gulped thickly, before finally blurting “You’re a magicat!” with more force than he anticipated.

“Uh, yeah. You got a problem with that?” Catra asked, sounding slightly offended without meaning it.

“It’s just…” Isabella spoke for the first time, looking nervously at anything and everything, trying to avoid eye contact with Catra. “You know… The whole rivalry between the magicats and the Eternians… and that one declaration one of your queens once made… I uh… I think I should stop talking now,” Isabella’s voice faltered as she finally dared to look at Catra again, gauging her reaction.

Catra was just confused. She’d never heard of a rivalry between magicats and first ones.

“Declaration?” she asked, looking between her friends and Adora, who looked just as confused as she was.

“Oh… Ahaha, you know the one,” Adam chuckled nervously, unable to finish his sentence for fear of saying something he shouldn’t.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Entrapta’s voice rose. “Oh, you mean the Thyra declaration that was made 2500 years ago, following a war between the first ones and the magicats? The one which ruled that the first ones would forever be the magicats’ sworn enemies, and that if a first one even dared step on Thyrian soil, they would be scratched to death on the spot and their corpse would be left to rot like they had left the corpses of so many other magicats mangled in their own homes? Yeah, I thought it would maybe pose a bit of a problem.”

Entrapta had said it so casually, yet Catra was sure that she had never been this shocked in her entire lifetime. _What in the seven skies had she just heard?_ The others seemed just as shocked, if not scandalized in Adora’s case, while Adam and Isabella shared nervous looks, then looked to Entrapta, who had casually gone back to her typing, not caring in the slightest about the gigantic bomb she had just dropped on all of them.

Even Melog’s mouth was agape, their tale and mane’s glow paling slightly.

Once Catra’s mind began to recover from the initial shock, and she began to actually process the meaning of Entrapta’s words, a protective hand instantly latched onto Adora’s forearm, shielding her from... nothing at all.

“I… the… _What_?” She blurted out, indignation flowering across her features. “Entrapta?! You can’t just say things like that without at least explaining!”

“Oh… You don’t know?” Isabella asked, all anxiety falling from her face to be replaced by a questioning stare, while relief flooded Adam’s body, and he finally let out the breath he didn’t realize he had been holding.

Meanwhile, Adora, Bow, and Glimmer gave Entrapta incredulous stares, watching as she blissfully went back to her readings, like she hadn’t just said anything that might seem even remotely out of the ordinary.

“Don’t know what?!” Catra asked, still holding on to her girlfriend.

“It’s… a long story. Not a good one too,” Isabella said, her lips thinning out into a line. “Strange that you don’t know it though. Every Thyrian supposedly knows this story by heart… Something about a burning desire for revenge. Although, it has been a thousand years so, maybe things have changed…”

“Well I didn’t grow up in Thyra, so can you summarize?” Catra asked, her voice calmer than it was before, but her lack of understanding still burning at her insides.

“Well to make it short,” Adam began, taking a deep breath. “Around 2500 years ago, a squadron of Eternians that were part of the Etherian faction attacked a magicat village without being provoked and killed every last magicat that lived there. Obviously, everyone was horrified by the uncalled-for violence, Etherians and Eternians alike, but the magicats were super-extra horrified. They had every right to be of course. Their queen declared that all first ones would, from then on and until the end of time, be considered enemies and… you know the rest. Our queen at the time tried to patch things up and offered aid and a formal apology but the magicats didn’t accept either, and well here we are. Growing up, we were told that if we ever encountered a magicat it would mean instant death but… I guess we were wrong,” the prince ended with a smile and finally stretched his hand out to shake Catra’s, if not with slight, involuntary hesitation.

“Okaaaay…uh…” Catra was now the one to hesitate. She’d never been fond of physical greetings in general, always preferring to keep her distance from people she didn’t or barely knew, and coming from just finding out that her people and the first ones were enemies (and thanking the heavens that no one had found out Adora was a First One during their visit to Thyra last year), she wondered if she should shake his hand at all.

The prince however didn’t move, patiently awaiting Catra’s response with a warm smile that seemed all in all way too familiar, like wow that was weird.

Finally deciding to bridge the gap, she held out her hand and shook Adam’s, though she still had questions.

“Why did the squadron even attack in the first place?” she asked once the two broke apart.

“There had been a growing feud between Thyra and the Etherian settlers for a while,” Isabella explained. “The settlers were stealing Etherian knowledge without any retribution from the other kingdoms. Thyra wasn’t gonna stand for that, so they implemented laws preventing the settlers from abusing their knowledge or stealing what was rightfully theirs in a peaceful and orderly manner. Most of the settlers backed down, but that one squadron’s leader had other plans. So he raided that town along the borders between the settlements and Thyra and stole what he wanted, killing everyone else in the process. It was essentially a war crime. Your people had every right to block the rest of the planet out after this, most of all the Eternian settlers.”

“Oh…” Catra found herself strangely not surprised. This kind of behavior on the first ones’ part had come to hold a sense of normality, a truth she’d come to accept after the Heart. But behind her, she could feel Adora tensing. And she knew exactly why.

In a gesture so quiet and natural one would miss it if they blinked, Catra brought her hand down from her girlfriend’s forearm to her hand, entwining the two and caressing her knuckles with her thumb in a bid to soothe her, which almost immediately worked. The muscles under her hand unclenched.

“What about you?” Isabella finally asked, looking directly at Adora.

The blonde cleared her throat and moved slightly forward. “Well now that all of _that’s_ out of the way,” Adora exclaimed, then turned, gesturing for Melog, who immediately came to her and nuzzled their head into her gentle caresses, while Adam and Isabella stared the creature down, seemingly amazed. “This is Melog, a friend we met on Krytis. They’re a very important part of the group, you’ll see why later, and they also give the best cuddles.”

“Hey, I don’t agree with that,” Catra teased playfully as Melog walked back to her side, giving her thigh a slight nudge, a silent request for more ear scratches which Catra quickly fulfilled. Adora laughed, then turned again towards Isabella and Adam who smiled at her. She smiled back and introduced herself.

“In our message, Glimmer mentioned that only one of us was a First One. That would be me-

\- I’m Adora.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was chapter 6. I really hope you enjoyed.
> 
> As I said in the starting notes, chapter 6 will be uploaded on Sunday of this week rather than next Monday. So you can look forward to that.   
> As always, I'm ready to answer any questions you may have about the story, this chapter specifically, or any other aspect of the story in the comments so long as it's not a spoiler. 
> 
> Have a good one 😁❤


	7. The message.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the last 22 years, Eternia had been under occupation. For the last 22 years, it had gone without its queen. Without its king. Without its Archmagus.
> 
> And without its Crown Princess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, chapter 7, here we go.
> 
> This chapter opens us up to a whole new side of the story and I am honestly really excited for you to read it. I don't have much to say about it aside from that. 
> 
> So, without further ado, let's get on with the story.
> 
> Hope you enjoy ^o^  
> Your Kudos and comments are highly appreciated❤

Shock.

Utter and pure shock bloomed on both faces, a slight hint of concern showing on the second.

For a moment, Adam forgot how to breathe. He felt as though his body had been run through a consecutive volley of electric currents. Everything around him blurred slightly and sounds reached him muffled. He could only see the face of the woman standing across from him, and for the first time, he was actually seeing her. Sunny blonde hair, just like his… pearly blue eyes, just like his... Soft features, which resembled his so much… And that name… the name he hadn’t heard in years… the name he’d almost forgotten the sound of…

Could she be…?

No.

No, there was no way.

And yet…

“Uh… Adam?” Adora asked, wondering if she should’ve said “prince” lest she sounded disrespectful. Her look alternated between Adam and Isabella, who only looked at her with somewhat narrowed eyes, brows slightly furrowed in doubt.

“Did…uh… Did I say something…?” Adora inquired, wondering where her words had gone wrong. Was it because she mentioned she was a First One? Did they think she was lying to them? No, it couldn’t be that. They hadn’t been near as shocked about Catra. So why did she come as such a surprise for them both? Or was it…something else?

“N…No. It’s just…” Isabella’s voice trailed off, unsure of what to say. But then again, what could you possibly say to a person that looked and seemed so similar in every way, even in name, to someone who was thought to have disappeared 22 years ago, without it sounding wrong?

“You just… reminded me of someone. That’s all,” Adam said with a strange sudden change of demeanor, his face going dark, eyes glued to the ground as he quickly and firmly shook Adora’s hand, trying not to be rude.

She was a stranger after all. A stranger who had come to help him save his parents. He couldn’t be disrespectful towards her.

She knew nothing of the lost princess after all… She knew nothing of his long-lost sister.

Adora was slightly taken aback by how brief their handshake had been. Where his hand had lingered and a wide smile had decorated his face even while shaking Catra’s hand, their greeting had barely lasted 5 seconds, before Adam had pulled away and turned his back to her, putting some distance between the two of them, looking as though he’d just taken a blow to the gut.

Isabella moved forward, an apologetic air to her.

“I’m sorry about him,” the princess began, struggling to snap herself out of her momentary daze. “I guess this just came as… slightly unexpected. You’re really a First One?” She asked, trying to move the conversation forward.

“Yeah… I’m also… um…” Adora stopped herself before sharing this bit of information. If they had reacted so badly to her and her alone, then what would they possibly say if they learned about her alter ego. She decided to only aboard that subject if and when it ever popped up in the conversation.

“I’m just… a little confused,” she answered instead. “Did I say something I shouldn’t have? Was it because I called him just ‘Adam’ instead of ‘Prince’?” Adora asked, feeling slightly embarrassed. Her first contact with her people and she was already screwing it up. _Way to go, Adora. Real good decision on your part,_ she thought.

“No, no it’s obviously not that,” Isabella replied, shaking her head. “Adam doesn’t care about that stuff. It’s just… it’s a complicated subject.”

It was a physical strain to get the words out. “You see, Queen Oriana, Adam’s mother, had two children. Adam was her firstborn, and then she had a daughter, who… uh… coincidentally, shares your name.”

The gears began to shift in Adora’s head as she processed what she was being told. A sudden wave of what strangely felt like déjà vu overtook her.

“So, Adam has a sister who also happens to be named ‘Adora’?” Catra asked, joining the conversation. “Huh, what are the odds?”

“Crazy right?” Isabella smiled sadly.

_Oh no_. Adora knew that look. She knew what it meant. And she hated seeing it on people. She daren’t ask…

“So what happened to her?” Catra added, taking the words straight out of Adora’s mind.

“Here’s the thing. We don’t know. The princess mysteriously disappeared 22 years ago, and she was never heard of or seen again. People all over the planet call her ‘The Lost Princess’.”

_The Lost Princess…_

Huh.

“Adam and I think it’s stupid since well, for one she has a name, and two, we at least know she’s alive. Out there… Somewhere…” Isabella’s voice trailed as she finished her sentence.

“How do you know that?” Catra asked again, sounding skeptical.

“I know this is gonna sound a little weird,” the princess started, “But it was the planet’s magic that gave our mages the lead. Two years ago, in fact, the same day Horde Prime’s forces up and left the planet. It was a pretty big thing but, it happened in correlation with other big events so, for people unaffected by the news, it simply became a passing sentence in a boring conversation. Aside from that, and her disappearance 22 years ago, we know nothing.”

Adora remained silent at this revelation. 22 years ago. What were the odds indeed…

Attempting to revert back to the cheeriness she had displayed upon their arrival, Isabella clapped her hands together, and spoke again, sharply shifting the subject.

“Well. Why are we still all standing here?” Isabella asked, gesturing for everyone to follow her as she began to make her way inside. “Come on. Time for a tour.”

* * *

Adam was sure that his sudden disappearance had been noticed and he cursed himself internally for it. For how stupidly he had reacted. For how unimaginably rude he had been. And yet… He couldn’t help it. He had to get away, as far away as he could. He needed to breathe, ground himself, and think properly for goodness’ sake. He wondered what the odds could be that it was all just a huge coincidence.

They had the same name, and even if that name was common on Etheria for some reason (something which he highly doubted), he couldn’t deny that, for one reason or the other, that woman was his mother’s spitting image. Same eyes, same face, same height, same hair, same… everything. And then she had said she was a First One... But how could it possibly be true? It was just so… so wild. So unbelievable. That this woman could be…

“There you are. I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” Isabella scolded, closing the door to his room behind her. “I even went up to your favorite tower and all. What are you even doing, cooped up in here, when you should be out there, with us?”

“Bella… I…” Adam was so far gone that even talking seemed hard.

“Adam, I know,” the princess interrupted, walking over to his bed and sitting down. “I’m surprised too. And I honestly see what pushed you to react like that but… Adam, both you and I know that she can’t possibly be… well you know… _That_ Adora,” Isabella’s voice came softer and quieter this time, as if she didn’t want her words to be heard by anyone.

“We don’t know that. And you saw her, she… she just…”

“Looks so much like your mother? Yeah, I noticed that too…” This time Isabella sounded pensive. “But Adam, she came from Etheria. Do you really think your sister could’ve ended up there? How would that have even happened? Something just doesn’t add up. For all we know, it could just be a really, _really_ strong coincidence.”

Isabella was right. Adam hadn’t thought about that. How could his sister have ended up on a planet that, seemingly up until three years ago, had been gone for something like a thousand years, trapped by Mara in a shadow dimension?

What little conviction he had gathered began to wane as realization dawned upon him: No matter where his sister had ended up, it couldn’t have been Etheria. A trip like that would’ve required a portal, and at its base felt so impossible to make. It would’ve killed any baby that had to go through it, and he knew his sister was alive.

Finally, he let go of this nagging idea that whoever had come to aid him today was his sister, and his mind felt a little clear for the first time in the last 3 hours, albeit his heart a little heavy. But then again, what really had he expected?

Adam got up, concluding that Isabella was right. What was he doing here? He needed to be out there, with his guests, rather than in here. He also owed Adora (It was still weird to even think it) an apology for the way he’d acted around her.

“Come on. Let’s head back out,” Adam suggested, his voice slightly colder than he had anticipated.

“Adam, before we go,” Isabella grabbed his forearm to stop him and get his attention. “I know this is hard for you. I know it’s been hard for you ever since we found out that your sister was alive, and you can always talk to me about it if you want. But right now, your parents, and your mother especially, hold the priority, okay?”

Adam closed his eyes and nodded in earnest.

“One more thing,” The princess continued. “I received a call from General Tamara earlier. The council knows that your message has been answered and that your request has been fulfilled.”

Isabella felt Adam’s fist clench under her hand. She knew he didn’t like it, but she had to tell him.

“The council won’t stand in your way. They know they can’t stop you from doing this. And they’ll only get involved if there’s an emergency or a significant breach of protocol,” Isabella continued. “And one last thing. General Tamara said that there’s something in the throne room at Castle Grayskull. Something that was left by the queen. The mages analyzed it and they think it’s a message of sorts. Tamara didn’t say much. Only that the mages tried, but couldn’t crack it. And she said that they wanted us to check it out.”

Now, this… This was interesting. A message from his mother?

“Uh…can you… elaborate a little further?” Adam asked, trying to understand.

“All I was told is that the queen left something before being taken by Horde Prime. Apparently, she’d left it for you. And based on the protections they found on it, it’s something she wanted only you to know.”

_Oh_.

This piqued Adam’s interest even further.

“Then we have a trip to Castle Grayskull to fit into our schedule,” the prince conceded.

Isabella nodded.

“Yes sir.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was chapter 7.
> 
> As I've newly established, you can expect chapter 8 next Sunday, somewhere around this time. And as always, I'm ready to answer any question you may have down in the comments (so long as it's not a spoiler). 
> 
> Have a good one 😁❤


	8. Of old wounds and new.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Orwin castle's tallest tower has always been the best place to hide from the world, and have deep conversations with whoever listened.
> 
> This time, however, it bore witness to so much more than that.
> 
> //TW: This chapter contains explicit depictions of PTSD and panic attacks as well as mentions of war, death, and parental loss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, chapter 8, here we go.
> 
> This chapter has some pretty heavy stuff and it might be one of the biggest in the story. It's also one of the chapters I struggled with the most, since the way I write about trauma reflects my own experiences with it. 
> 
> Chapter 8 also opens us up to more and more of Andrew's story, and his actions, and starts to peel back the layers of mystery concerning Queen Oriana, the Eternian stand against Horde Prime, and why it failed, and of course, the lost princess.
> 
> In terms of notes, that's all I have for today.
> 
> Hope you enjoy ^o^  
> Your Kudos and comments are highly appreciated❤
> 
> //TW: This chapter contains explicit depictions of PTSD and panic attacks as well as mentions of war, death, and parental loss

Adora had been silent for the better part of 3 hours now, and though this hadn't gone unnoticed, no one had said anything about it.

They had been sitting in a guest hall for the last fifteen minutes, waiting for Isabella, who, after giving them a tour of the castle, went to find Adam, who’d disappeared somewhere.

Adora’s head was a mess, a slew of thoughts coming and going. Could it really all just be a massive coincidence? Or was she missing the bigger picture? A piece of the puzzle that had not yet been revealed. She’d run these same thoughts on loop in her mind yet couldn’t seem to be able to rid herself of them or reach a proper conclusion.

The doors to the hall suddenly opened wide, and through them walked in Isabella, and behind her, Adam, appearing much cheerier than he’d been before, though he was still acting a little weird. He made his way over and sat down in the free chair right next to her, while Isabella took a seat next to Entrapta.

“We’re back. Sorry for the wait,” Isabella began. “Alright, now I’m not usually one to get into business immediately so, why don’t we have a little chat over a drink first? I’m sure we all have a lot of questions to ask each other,” the princess suggested, waving her butler over. “Would you like anything specific or do you want me to surprise you?” Her eyes moved across the group sitting in front of her. No reply, only some shrugs.

“Okay then, I’ll allow myself some creative freedom,” she said, mostly to herself then whispered an order to her butler who nodded in agreement then left to fetch their refreshments. A sound quiet fell upon the room, as the others began having hushed conversations, and Adam took this as a window of opportunity.

“Hey, uh, Adora?” The name tingled at his tongue, felt as though it wasn’t his to say.

She didn’t reply at first, seemingly lost deep in… something or other. That or Adam’s voice had barely made it out of his mouth.

“Adora?” He asked again, slightly louder. Adora’s face jerked towards him and she hummed in response. Adam could tell he’d ripped her out of a long train of thoughts.

“So uh… Sorry about earlier. It was kinda rude of me to just leave like that,” he began, redness rising to his cheeks in embarrassment.

“Don’t worry about it. Isabella told us that it was a bit of a sensitive subject for you,” Adora answered, trying at a polite smile.

It was obvious to Adam that she was tiptoeing with her words, trying not to aboard the subject. He’d heard everything Isabella had told them back at the gates, but he wondered if she’d told her more in his absence.

“I was wondering if we could, uh… Maybe go talk somewhere? If you want to, of course,” the prince shyly suggested.

Adora considered the offer for a moment. What did Adam want to talk to her about? He had apologized, and she honestly would’ve preferred if they skipped all the pomp and circumstance and gotten straight to the issue at hand. She could tell they were all trying their hardest to give her and her friends a warm welcome, but for oh-so-obvious reasons, a small part of her didn’t trust them all that much. But she too didn’t want to seem rude. After all, nothing of their behavior had bordered on suspicious to her, and she wondered if it was just her extreme paranoia at play again. So, she decided to agree.

“Sure. I guess a talk couldn’t hurt,” she concluded after a moment.

Adam stood up, a bright smile on his face, and Adora followed slightly less enthusiastic, but smiling all the same.

“Great. I know the perfect spot.” He then addressed the rest of their company. “Uh, don’t wait for us everyone, we’ll be back in a few.”

Isabella gave Adam a fond look, while Catra eyed Adora questioningly, to which Adora responded with a reassuring smile and mouthed ‘I’ll be back'. Catra nodded to her, their silent exchange being enough to keep her worry at bay, for now anyway.

Adam and Adora exited the hall, and she followed him throughout the castle, silently wondering where they were headed. The prince skipped over meeting rooms, dining halls, and even a large theater hall at some point until they made it to an enclosed yet wide, and seemingly tall staircase which Adam began to climb with a confident step. Adora followed.

The staircase felt never-ending but it didn’t seem to bother either of them. Once they were finally at the top, Adam opened the door onto a wide and round-shaped balcony, with golden railings and white chiseled pillars protruding from the floor and rising to the domed ceiling which they held up.

The floor was of an immaculate white marble with black and golden swirls, and from the ceiling fell raindrop-shaped silver lamps, some looking more decorative than practical.

The place looked wonderful.

But nothing could beat the amazing view from the spot Adam had chosen. With awe in her eyes, Adora realized that they were on the highest tower of the castle.

Her eyes moved across the wondrous landscape. Beneath them, the castle’s huge elaborate gardens made for a spectacular assortment of colors and shapes, and the courtyard stretched wide across in front of the main gates, where she could see their motionless ship.

But what was most stunning to her was the big, beautiful city extending further towards the horizon, gleaming with life and people. Behind it, the sky was golden with shades of the setting sun. The landscape seen from up there was truly breathtaking.

“I see you like the view,” Adam smiled, as he gestured for Adora to take one of the seats next to him in the small sitting area.

“It’s definitely worth the workout,” she replied, pulling up a chair and sitting next to him.

“It’s my favorite part of the castle, after the music hall. Growing up, sometimes things got a little too heated, and this place was usually empty, so I’ve come to take it as a refuge. It’s a very good place to regroup when life’s pulling you a little too tight, you know?”

Adora nodded in agreement. This place definitely seemed like a great spot to think, and it certainly had the right aesthetic.

“So, what did you want to talk about?” Adora asked, curiosity taking the better of her.

“Oh you know, just a few things here and there,” the prince wagered. “But mostly, I’m wondering how you ended up on Etheria. I mean, you said you were a First One, but from my knowledge, the last First Ones to live on Etheria deserted it a thousand years ago. Is that right?”

Adora sighed. She knew she’d have to aboard the subject sooner or later.

“You’re right,” she acknowledged, shifting a little in her seat. “As far as I know, I’m the only First One on Etheria. I was never supposed to get there in the first place. Ever heard about Light Hope and the Heart of Etheria Project?” she asked.

Adam nodded. “Oh yeah, this I’ve heard of. Light Hope was the Etherian facilitator that our ancestors created, right? The one that went berserk in the end, because of a reprogramming?” he questioned, just to be sure. He had never been a history wizard, but this part had just been too big to forget.

“Yup,” Adora replied with a sigh. “After Etheria was trapped by Mara in Despandos, Light Hope’s reprogramming prompted her to look for a new person to who she could assign the sword of protection in order to activate the weapon. She looked for a thousand years and apparently had no luck. Until two decades ago, when one of her portals finally worked. I came to Etheria through that portal. But things didn’t exactly go according to Light Hope’s plan…”

And so, Adora told him about her life, starting with her childhood in the Horde, growing up with Catra as the closest person to her, then both of them drifting apart and becoming enemies when she found and connected with the Sword of Protection.

She told him about her first encounter with Bow and Glimmer in the Whispering Woods, how she’d ended up joining the rebellion in the end, and the catastrophes it had led to regarding her relationship with Catra.

She told him about She-Ra, how Light Hope had lied to her and used her and that she had broken the sword made by the First Ones, thus freeing Light Hope too little too early.

She told him how Glimmer’s actions led to Etheria leaving Despandos 3 years prior, and about Horde Prime’s arrival.

She talked and Adam listened, neither of them caring about the passing time, or that by then, the sun had completely vanished, and the first stars had begun to glint in the night sky.

She told him about how she’d fought so hard to find herself, regain her power as She-Ra but most importantly how fiercely she’d fought to protect her friends from Prime. She told him how she saved a mind-controlled Catra from Prime’s flagship after the latter had rescued Glimmer, how she’d brought her back when she was less than an inch from death.

She shuddered at the memory and had to stop for a minute, the fear she’d felt after seeing Catra’s limp, lifeless body on the cruel and cold floor of the Velvet Glove almost overtaking her again. She had to breathe and remind herself that it was all in the past. That this was never going to happen again and that she’d never let it. That Catra was here, with her, very much alive and okay. Though whenever it rose again, that tension never went away so easily.

Adam gave her a minute, seeing her distress flower across her paling face.

“Hey, it’s okay to stop, if you don’t feel like telling me the rest. I completely understand,” Adam said, an empathetic look in his eyes.

But Adora couldn’t stop. Not now that she was this close to the end of this story.

“It’s fine, I just needed a second,” Adora reassured him. _Brace yourself, here comes the hard part_ , she thought, encouraging herself, or at least trying to anyway.

“After we rescued Catra from Horde Prime’s ship, we knew we’d have to return to Etheria as soon as possible. But we had to make a few stops first, to find a way to go around the blockade he’d set up around the planet. So we went to Krytis and that’s where we found Melog. They gave us a bit of a scare at first, but then they bonded with Catra and it all worked out in the end. With Melog’s powers, we were able to return to Etheria without being detected. But by the time we’d returned, Etheria was on the verge of collapse. At first, we didn’t have a plan. All we knew was that magic was Horde Prime’s only weakness. And he knew that too. As we worked to figure out a way to stop him, he was preparing something huge; an assault on the Heart of Etheria. He wanted to take the magic using his technology, and he’d come this close to achieving his goal. But while he was preparing to attack, we’d hatched a plan of our own. A few members of the rebellion, or what was left of it at the time, discovered the failsafe Mara’s squadron had left at Mysta… uh Arxia.”

At this, Adam raised his hand in interruption, his eyes wide.

“Wait,” he asked, trying to remember all that he knew about Mara and Rebel Squadron Grayskull. “So Mara and her team did create a failsafe?”

“Yeah,” Adora answered simply, stating what she knew at least.

Sudden sadness filled Adam’s eyes for a brief moment. “Wow. She really did go down in vain huh… But anyway, where were we?”

Adora continued. “We found the failsafe, and I ended up taking it, since, well, I was the only one who could hope to survive the ordeal. You know, being She-Ra and all.”

Adam nodded, letting her continue without interruption from then on.

“Catra and I got into a fight that night and she ended up leaving the camp. She’d been right about every word she’d said, but I was just too blind to see it. I guessed I’d have to face whatever was at the Heart alone. Bow and Glimmer had insisted on coming with me, but I was still scared. No scared is an understatement. I was terrified really. I didn’t know what was out there, and most importantly, I didn’t know if I would make it out alive. I didn’t expect to survive that day. Part of me kinda didn’t want to. But the worst part was not knowing if I’d ever see Catra again or if it would just end there for her and me. A few moments into our arrival to the Crystal Castle, I separated from Bow and Glimmer. I don’t exactly know how, but I eventually found myself in a simulation of a clearing above the Whispering Woods, talking to Mara. I was half-sure that it was just a figment of my imagination, until Horde Prime was suddenly there. He took me by surprise. His hold over the Heart of Etheria had been growing by the second, and I could somewhat feel it… like all of Etheria was in distress and it was channeling it all through me. Horde Prime had come prepared that night. He’d taken control of an old creature he said was part of the Castle’s old security system. I’m still not sure if he was serious about that since that thing was like no First One made creature I’d ever faced. It stung and overpowered me, and its venom was enough to take She-Ra down, leaving only me to deal with it. It was more than terrifying. And don’t even get me started on how painful it was. The… the venom it… it felt like acid being poured down my veins and… and I…”

A loud yet muffled shriek reached Adora's ears from... somewhere, and her words ground to a halt, choking up in her throat.

Her body felt as though it wasn’t hers anymore.

Her breaths hitched, and she took in what felt like more and less air at the same time and a tremor overtook her.

Because she could hear them again. She could hear the muffled shrieks of the creature somewhere behind her. Her eyes screwed shut at the terrible prospect that this thing was close. 

She could almost feel its venom coursing through her veins again. But... 

But, it couldn't be... She wasn't there anymore right? She was... Where was she? _Not in the crystal castle_ was the first thought to reach her clouded mind.

_But what if..._

_No!_

_No, I’m not there_ , she thought, the voice in her mind screaming, trying to get her back into her body.

_I’m not there anymore. It’s over. It’s been 2 years. I can't be there!_

_I’m not there, I…_

_...I’m not…_

_Calm down, you’re okay._

_Breathe…_

_…. just breathe…_

The voice in her mind was no longer hers. It sounded far, but she could tell it wasn’t in her mind. 

It was Adam.

The prince didn’t like where this was going. He wanted to reach out, to provide any form of comfort, but there were still boundaries to respect. And he knew better than trying to initiate any form of physical contact. As subtle as it would be, it would only make her jump, and worsen the situation. So he chose to use his words instead.

“Adora, hey… it’s okay, calm down. Stop if you need to. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have pushed you to tell me. Just stop for now, okay? Breathe.”

Adam’s voice became slowly clearer as Adora's mind touched down from the sudden rush of emotions.

She hadn’t had an attack that intense in a while which made it all the more difficult to ground herself. Usually, Catra would be here with her, helping her out of it, untangling her twisted nerves, just as Adora had done for her so many times. She’d hold Adora close to calm her down, and the effect would be instant. Adora would immediately start to feel better. Without Catra, it was difficult, but she was slowly crossing out of it.

She remembered a breathing exercise Perfuma had taught her once, a few years back, and she tried it. It helped. A few more times, and her tongue finally untied.

“I… I’m sorry, I… I don’t know what took over me, I… I just…” Adora stammered her apology. Her entire body was shaking and her embarrassment twisted like a dark void in her gut.

“Hey, there’s nothing to apologize for,” the prince reassured. “What just happened is normal. I’m sorry if I forced you to go through something you wanted to put behind you,” Adam countered, smiling at her reassuringly when she looked at him.

Adora tried to smile back, but she could feel her muscles straining with the effort she usually didn’t have to make when a smile was genuine. “You don’t have to apologize either,” the blonde replied.

She turned her face to the view in front of her and tried to focus on it in a bit to clear her mind, breathed in a few more times, and held her silence until her body stopped shaking. A few moments passed before she was finally ready, and only then did she continue her tale. Though the prince stopped her again before she said anything.

“You sure you’re good to continue?” he questioned, concerned that the rest might bring out even more things she wanted to forget.

But instead, Adora nodded, assuring him. “Yeah, besides, the rest isn’t as bad.”

The blonde then breathed again, and continued. “For a good ten minutes, I just sat there, powerlessly facing the thing while it just hovered above me, waiting to strike again. But then, out of nowhere, Catra showed up and turned its attention away from me. Heh… she was so hot fighting that thing like that…” Adora observed, slightly in awe, the words spoken more to herself than anyone.

Her cheeks turned bright red the second she realized she had said her words out loud, and she laughed nervously, fingers messing with a loose strand of her hair, while Adam shot her a knowing smirk. The heat in her face and her rushing heartbeat suddenly had a completely different reason.

“Anyway…” she quickly recovered, “While Catra was fighting the creature, Shadow Weaver, the woman who raised us both helped me back on my feet. We walked away trying to reach the heart, but on the way, I heard Catra cry out. I thought that I was going to lose her, that I wasn’t gonna make it to her in time. So I broke away from Shadow Weaver and ran as fast as my legs could carry me, which was not fast at all. Shadow Weaver got to her before me, and I got there just in time for Catra and me to see her burn the creature away, the spell taking her with it.”

“So she… died?” Adam asked, not exactly sure how to feel about that. From what he’d understood earlier, that woman had been horrible to them while they were growing up in her care, or lack thereof.

“She died," Adora confirmed, deadpan."Catra and I ended up making our way to the heart together after all, with her half dragging me the whole way. Once there, I tried to turn into She-Ra to activate the failsafe, but the venom stopped me. After that, I didn’t last more than five minutes before passing out. I don’t remember much from when I was passed out. I only remember feeling extremely cold. I couldn’t move. It was like I was paralyzed in my own body. And then, I remember I had some kind of dream… o-or vision I’m not sure. We were all back at Brightmoon, happy, safe… Deep down, I probably knew that it wasn’t real, but I let it play through, wishing that it was. And then…”

The memory sent another tremor rocking through the blonde's body, “He was there. Prime somehow managed to… t-to get into my head. I couldn't stop him. He trapped me somewhere in my own mind and that’s when I felt like there was no coming back, that wherever I was now had to be the end. But then I heard Catra’s voice, I saw her. With her help, I was able to make it through. It was right then and there, on the floor of that ruin, while the Heart of Etheria burned right above our heads that we confessed our feelings to one another, and shared our first kiss. Not the most romantic of places if you ask me.”

Adora chuckled and smiled fondly at the memory which, despite its horrible beginning, was still one of the happiest moments in her life. “I know this is gonna sound corny but," the blonde continued, sheepish,"the kiss really was what saved us both in the end. It gave me the strength I needed to be able to turn into She-Ra again. Just as I did the failsafe did its thing and the Heart of Etheria was finally gone for good. Then we got out of there, restored Etheria’s magic, turned Horde Prime’s flagship into a tree floating in outer space, and literally burned Horde Prime away. And that’s how the war finally ended.”

With awe, Adam realized just how lucky he was. The same people who had destroyed Horde Prime had come to help him save his parents. To say he was impressed would be the understatement of the century.

“Wow! You know, you didn’t just save Etheria by doing what you did? You guys saved the entire damn universe! That’s literally the coolest thing! But also the craziest, most dangerous story I’ve ever heard,” Adam declared, a mix of amazement and concern gleaming in his eyes.

Adora nodded in response. “You’re right. And I really hope none of us ever have to go through any of that again,” she wished, then turned to face Adam. “Well, now that you know my story, and by extension, everyone’s story, wanna tell me about yours? What exactly happened on Eternia all these years? How did things end up so bad?” Adora asked.

Adam sighed and shifted in his seat. This was definitely going to be a long ride. With a deep breath, he began his tale.

“Okay, so. My mother, Queen Oriana, took the throne 26 years ago, after my grandmother, Queen Orla retired,” Adam opened. “Mom was already married to dad at this point, but they still didn’t have kids. My cousin Andrew was a year and a half old at the time. He’s the son of my aunt Iseadora by the way, mom’s sister.”

Adora nodded at the clarification, and he continued. She sure was glad she knew what ‘aunt’ meant now.

“Everything went well at the beginning. Mom and Dad were loved by mostly everyone and from what I know, mom was a great queen. She had me not one year after being crowned. A year later, when I was one and Andrew was 3, my grandmother died, and shortly after my aunt Iseadora and her husband, Lord Phoebus, divorced. And then 2 years after that, mom had her second child, my sister, the first in line to the throne.”

“Wait, how is she first in line if you’re the elder child?” Adora asked, her curiosity piqued. From what little she knew about lines of succession, this didn’t seem right.

“Oh yeah, see, our monarchy, here on Eternia is a matriarchy,” Adam explained. “Only females or female-born people can inherit the throne.”

“So males aren’t included in the line of succession?”

Adam shook his head. “Nope. It’s always been that way. Ever since the Eternian monarchy was established, almost 10000 years ago.”

“10000 years? Woah…” Were the First Ones really that old? “But, are there any specific reasons, or is it just your laws?” Adora wondered.

“No it’s actually deeper than that,” Adam explained. “See, the First Ones generally, and the Eternians specifically have always had a deep affinity for both magic and science. And even though both fields are extremely different, with science and magic having completely different sets of laws, our people have always been known for merging tech with magic.”

Adora nodded, a sign for him to continue. She already knew all of this (All these hours spent with Entrapta sure had had their effect.)

“So, I’m sure it comes to no surprise to you that magic as a whole is something common on our planet. Not as common as it is on Etheria though…” the prince added in earnest. “Our source of magic is a giant crystal: The Eternal. It’s located on the mainland, deep inside the royal castle, which was built around it. When the first Eternians figured out its powers and how to use them, they also noticed that it only gave magic to females. They researched the reason for that and found out that the magic of the crystal affected an individual at the genetic level. The gene in question couldn’t coexist with a certain genome, while it was in perfect accord with the other, for some reason. Still with me?” Adam asked, wondering if this hadn’t been too much at once.

Adora nodded, if not a little less enthusiastically this time. The Horde had taught cadets about genetics and how they worked, but soldiers were only ever given basic knowledge, while more detailed lessons were given to those being trained as medics.

Adam then continued.

“And thus, since the Eternal needed to be balanced, it was taken as a base for the rule that only females or individuals who had the specific gene were allowed to take the throne. Got it?”

“Yeah… Although, it’s kind of unfair, isn’t it?”

“If we weren’t treated as highly as our counterparts, it would be, but we’re given just as much respect and responsibility so we’re all good. Heck, our own royal house, Grayskull, was named after a king consort so it really isn’t a problem,” Adam affirmed.

Adora had always wondered what Grayskull was, and even though she still didn’t exactly have all her answers yet, it was satisfying to finally understand for the honor of who exactly she was fighting. She looked over at Adam, eagerly awaiting the rest of his tale.

“So, around 22 years ago, Horde Prime arrived at our part of the universe. I was three at the time. I still remember how it began; all the frantic calls and meetings, the war preparations… Eternia was readying for war,” Adam dismally recalled, before adding, “I’m not sure if you know this, but we’d been dealing with the threat of Horde Prime for thousands of years, and the Heart of Etheria Project was actually a weapon to fight him.”

_Go figure_. Adora laughed coldly at the irony.

“Hah, well that definitely backfired. Horde Prime almost destroyed the entire universe with it!” she declared, looking into the void. _How in the seven skies had the First Ones considered this a good idea?_ She wondered silently, as Adam continued.

“I know right? The elders were crazy. Honestly, what were they thinking, weaponizing a whole planet just like that?” Adam admonished, unknowingly taking the words right out of Adora’s mind. “Anyway, when Prime finally arrived on Eternia, we were, in most fields, ready for him. Our armies were stronger and had better formation than his, and we still had the advantage of magic. Horde Prime never understood it and his defenses were never strong enough against it. One of our average skilled mages could simultaneously take out ten of his clones, and his bots were nothing short of child’s play faced against our tech. All signs seemed to project that we could win the battle. My father was personally leading the conglomerate of forces that had come to fight Prime’s army, while my mother lead from afar, giving her orders from the throne room instead. My uncle, w-well he wasn’t really my uncle, Isabella’s father, Prince Zagron, used to tell me about how my mother had insisted to fight on the field, but everyone had stopped her.” Adam stopped, his face darkening.

“Everything okay?” Adora asked.

“Yeah… yeah don’t worry. It’s just…kinda hard to talk about uncle Zag after what happened…”

“Oh… may I ask…?” The rest of Adora’s question went unspoken, as she hoped internally that Adam hadn’t heard her. The subject was still a fresh wound that hadn’t fully healed yet, that much was obvious.

“He was killed. By Andrew, a year ago,” Adam answered simply, looking out onto the darkened landscape before them. His blunt answer took Adora slightly by surprise, and worry flowered in the back of her head.

“Oh… I-I’m sorry I… I shouldn't have…” Adora began, and was quickly cut off by Adam.

“It’s okay… just don’t ask Isabella about it. Or au- Lady Zara… they still haven’t quite moved on. Oh, uh, Lady Zara is Bella’s mom by the way. I'm not sure if you guys met her.”

Adora nodded again, a sign for him to keep going. They had met Lady Zara during their tour of the place. She’d seemed like a very lovely woman. 

“It was during that battle when… when my sister was taken, from what I was told. No one really knows what happened since the only people who were there to witness it were my mom and aunt Iseadora. I remember I was heading down to the throne room, trying to outrun my caretaker, when suddenly the whole castle started shaking. Lights began flickering on and off and a strange sound carried over the halls… like some sort of robot speaking. Then a bright flash of light filled the throne room and a loud crack was heard. Being less than three doors away, I managed to catch a few things,” Adam shakily continued. The memory had jumped to the forefront of his mind, and blurry and old as it was, some of its harsher elements were still very present.

“I… saw an even brighter light flash through the cracks of the door and heard my mother cry out. It was a loud, desperate, painful cry. I’d never heard my mother shout like that. I was terrified. Then, the light faded out, as bluntly as it had appeared. I knew something wasn’t right. I ran as fast as my tiny legs could carry me to the throne room. When I arrived, I saw my aunt holding my mom, who had fallen to her knees. Tears were streaming down her face while my aunt just looked shocked and afraid. Maybe throw a little scandalized in there too. I saw my caretaker take a fleeting look at my sister’s crib, so my eyes followed theirs; the crib was empty. My sister wasn’t there. When I looked back and saw my mom like that, the only response my 3-year-old mind could muster was crying. I couldn’t understand what had just happened. As I ran to mom, suddenly something changed in her look. Where before she looked desperate, now there was some strange urgency that, as a 3-year-old, I couldn’t comprehend. She then hugged me, the tightest, longest hug she’d ever given me, kissed me a few times on my head and I clearly remember what she told me next. She said ‘Adam, you’re going away. It’s gonna be okay, but you have to leave. I love you. Dad loves you. Don’t ever forget that.’ That was the last thing my mom ever said to me before sharing a look and a few whispered words with my caretaker. In less than fifteen minutes, I was in a spaceship, on my way here. As we were taking off, explosions went off in the castle, and I saw clones and bots move in. I knew right then and there that this would probably be the last time I ever saw my mom, or the rest of my family. I was right of course. Horde Prime did separate us,” Adam concluded bitterly, straining to keep his voice from breaking, as a few fleeting tears raced down his cheeks.

Adora looked speechless, and she only noticed the tears that had begun streaming down her face when the cold, bitter wind of the night stung against her wet cheeks. She raised a hand to wipe them away, while Adam’s eyelids clamped shut, trying to hold the dams up. But his emotions were getting the better of him. He couldn’t control the river of tears that came coursing down his face.

“Adam, I’m so sorry about what happened.” That’s all Adora could manage, shaken as she was.

Suddenly, out of the sadness and hurt, a gush of anger rose in her. 

All of her anger at Horde Prime, which she had long since stored in the far depths of her mind, emotions she thought she’d never have to feel again, flourished at the surface of her mind.

_How many families had that monster torn apart? How many lives had he taken? How many like she and Catra had been forced to live through the pain of separation at his hand?_ Adora wondered, for what was probably the millionth time.

But anger, that anger, was now pointless. It was directed at no one. Horde Prime was dead, his consciousness burned away by her healing touch. And she and her friends had made sure that he would never be able to rise again, as he had so vehemently promised to all those who listened.

Adora breathed in to calm down, and only then did she notice the thick silence that had settled between her and Adam. It had filled the atmosphere, like a wall erected by a few seconds of quiet. She still had a few questions, but she hesitated on asking Adam to continue, afraid of pushing him too far out of his comfort zone. She didn’t have to ask, however, because just then, Adam turned to face her, his face bearing a small, sad smile.

“But hey, we all have you and your friends to thank for getting rid of that guy,” Adam settled after a good 2 minutes of silence.

Adora shrugged in response, the ghost of a grin grazing her face.

Adam turned his gaze back to the city before him, which was now lit in all sorts of ways, the rays ricocheting off the crystalline surfaces of the buildings making the city glow ever brighter.

Although they did have big sprawling cities on Etheria, Adora had never seen anything like this on the planet and she was amazed at the wonderful sight. It was a little hard to yank her focus back towards Adam when he spoke again, but she soon found herself listening attentively to his words once more.

“And so, I arrived at Orwin, accompanied by my caretakers and a royal messenger on behalf of my parents. On our way to the moon, we received the news that the castle had been taken and that the queen had surrendered, but not without imposing her terms. The moons wouldn’t be touched and the people wouldn’t be harmed and he’d have unrestricted control over the mainland, and in return, she, my father, and my aunt would willingly give themselves up to Horde Prime. This decision scandalized the people and the army, who knew we had the power needed to take Horde Prime down. But then, news of my sister’s disappearance began to spread, and my mother’s decisions were finally justifiable for the most. She didn’t want to lose anybody else. She didn’t want to take any risks anymore. Pretty understandable if you ask me.”

“Of course,” Adora replied, awaiting the conclusion of Adam’s tale, while a few thoughts wormed their way to her brain, and began to eat at her focus. She tried her hardest not to give in to them, willing herself to concentrate on what Adam was saying.

“So I grew up here on Orwin with Uncle Zagron and Aunt Zara. They only had a daughter, you know, Bella, so raising me too wasn’t that hard. And although they’re the nicest, loveliest people you could ever meet, it just… never felt the same with them. They were obviously trying their hardest to make me feel welcome, but…” Adam sighed, finding himself at an expressional impasse. Then again, he wasn’t sure if that feeling could even be described by words…

“Isabella and I had a close-to-normal childhood, aside from the occasional scare, but it was never anything too big,” the prince continued. “Meanwhile, Andrew grew up on the moon Thea, with his father.

Eternia stayed under Horde Prime’s thumb until you guys defeated him 2 years ago. And that’s when things got real messy. Nobody knew where my parents were being kept at the time, until a squadron of scouts detected their location, in the fortress of Valea, deep in the southern hemisphere on the mainland.

Andrew managed to get to the council first and he convinced them to lend him part of the army to go free the royals. Of course, that turned out to be a huge set-up. As soon as he had what he needed, Andrew went to Valea and conquered it in his name. And then he declared his true intentions loud and clear for all of Eternia: He was going to take the throne and become the first king, deeming the rule of my family a disgrace to the name of First One, and expressing his wish to disassociate with the House of Grayskull. He also added that he now had the remnants of my family in his custody and that as soon as he could get to me, he’d get rid of us all and usher a new era on Eternia.

When Andrew first began his campaign, the majority of Eternians deemed him crazy and a traitor for going against sacred law. That and the members of the council of regency all banded against him and formed the resistance to fight him, spurning even more public hatred and opposition to him. So Andrew tried another tactic. He somehow figured out how to get magic for himself.

A year ago, he attacked the moon Dianee and killed Princess Meera’s sister, Lady Gaya, to steal her connection to the Eternal for himself in order to steal magic from the mainland. In a way, he stole a part of her. Before that, he attacked Thea, killing his father. And after Dianee, he attacked Orwin.

It was the first time I’d seen him in 21 years. He ambushed Isabella and me and he got pretty close to killing me but Uncle Zagron stepped in at the last minute and saved us, but not without taking a fatal injury to the chest. He died not 10 minutes after the fight, in Bella’s arms. I vowed that day that I would destroy Andrew for all that he had done. For holding my parents captive, for killing my uncle, for all his crimes against Eternia… After Orwin, he moved on to the mainland and raided Eternos, but he was driven off. Not before he managed to steal part of the Eternal’s magic, however, putting it dangerously off-balance, and sending the whole planetary system a hair’s length away from crumbling. Our mages barely managed to hold the place together by overriding some of the Eternal’s power and manually controlling some of the planet’s aspects. But the damage was already done. His new powers scared those he conquered into submitting to his rule. That, or they'd suffer a horrible death.”

Adora’s concern grew even further. So this was who they were fighting; a maniac who’d kill his own family and put a whole planet in danger for a throne that wasn’t legitimately his.

“Wow… I- I don’t what to say,” Adora admitted, quickly regretting her words. “I’m so sorry about your uncle… It must’ve been terrible.”

Adam only nodded solemnly in response. A few questions suddenly bloomed in her mind. “But, there’s one thing I don’t understand. You said a resistance had formed to fight him. Why aren’t they doing anything?”

“Because the resistance is led by nothing but a bunch of cowards who think they can succeed by keeping our army on the defensive all the time,” Adam seethed. “Time and time again they’ve been proved useless against him, and it’s the council’s negligence who led to where we are now. Just last week we lost yet another city to their stupid decisions, and yet they still had the audacity to leave the mainland and come pay me an unwanted visit,” he explained disdainfully, flicking his wrist from which, to Adora’s surprise, a hologram popped out, representing a map.

“Umm…” Adora began, not knowing what exactly she was looking at.

“Oh yeah, uh, that’s my holo-bracelet, it’s a First one’s go-to communication and browsing device. It can also track vitals and in some cases, can be adjusted to give regular reports on chronic health problems. It can even be adjusted to administer specific doses of medicine, although that feature isn’t widely used,” Adam clarified to a perplexed Adora.

“Cool,” the blonde replied. “You were saying something about uh… where you are now?”

Adam’s face turned sour as he lowered his hand towards Adora, and she leaned in to get a better look.

“This is a projection of the mainland,” Adam explained, pointing to a few points on the tiny holographic map as he did so. “Here you can see Eternos, the capital city. Castle Grayskull is right there…”

“Mhmm,” Adora nodded, eyes following Adam’s pointing finger.

“This over here is the Fortress of Valea, where my parents are being held, and all the territory around it is under Andrew’s control,” Adam continued, changing a few of the commands on the holo-bracelet, causing more than half of the map to glow bright crimson.

“All the territories in red are under his hand. And as you can see, he’s made a lot of progress. He already holds Andreenos and Drisdos, two of our biggest and most advantageous cities. And that’s just the civilian holdings. Andrew also controls a lot of the uninhabited parts like Mount Eternia, the crystal sea, Mount Kro’na, and the Ku’Via chain… basically the entire southern and western provinces…” Adam recounted, pointing at every landmark he named. Soon the list of names grew beyond the limit of balance. Andrew held the majority of the planet’s most beneficial points; Adora, a strategist at her core, didn’t fail to notice that.

“And the resistance is just staying on the defensive?” She finally asked, once Adam had finished. “No attacks, no retaking operations, nothing?”

Adam simply shook his head and said “Nothing.”

Well, that was unexpected.

“Huh… And here I thought First ones would have a little more fight to them,” she exclaimed. “I mean don’t get me wrong, but even when we were losing the war against Horde Prime, the Rebellion never gave up. Even after we’d lost so much.”

“Hey, you’re absolutely right. It is disappointing, what we’ve come to. Our army is divided, our people are miserable, my lunatic cousin is making more and more progress every day and all the council knows how to do is sit in the capital, deploy defenses and hope for the best! These guys disgust me,” Adam snarled hatefully. “But enough about them. We’ll work on fixing their mistakes tomorrow. For now, I’m just glad I got to meet new people, and I wanna enjoy it. Don’t you?” Adam smiled at her.

Adora smiled back, and settled into her chair once more.

“Yeah. It’s great to meet someone new,” she conceded, then wondered “So where do we go from now?”

“Oh, who knows…” The prince began on a serious note, before chuckling and adding, "though out of Bella's reach for now seems like a good idea. She's definitely gonna seek revenge on us for missing out on her drinks."

Adora giggled as she got out of her chair and stretched her arms a little, imitated by Adam.

They both made to step back inside, but not before Adora stopped him for a moment, sincerity written on her face.

“Hey Adam, I…” Adora paused, gathering her words into the right sentence. “After everything that happened to me and my friends, and after everything I’ve seen and been through, I’d kinda learned to despise the fir- my people. And I’m not sure you can really blame me, you know what we’ve all been through. But now, after coming here and meeting you all, I can safely admit that I was wrong. And Adam, my friends and I will be happy to help you rescue your family and save your home,” the blonde reassured him, and smiled warmly, and her smile was just so _familiar_ to Adam that he had to blink a few times before he could answer. He smiled back, a sincere, thankful smile.

“Thanks, Adora. It just… it really means a lot of you to do this. And… I’m not sure if that can ever be enough but… I want to apologize for all the pain my ancestors put you and your friends through, directly or not. I don’t know if that can ever be enough but… at least it comes from the heart,” Adam admitted, patting her shoulder in a friendly gesture.

“You don’t have to apologize for things your ancestors did… but thanks. Now come on, let’s head back before the others get worried,” Adora concluded, moving towards the staircase and beginning the climb down.

Adam followed, mood high and hopes even higher. Yet there was a nagging thought at the back of his mind that he just couldn’t get rid of. Earlier doubts settled back in his mind, a battle of contradictions playing in his mind.

‘Familiar’ was a word Adam didn’t exactly use much. Today, however, he’d used it more times than he ever had all his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that concludes chapter 8.
> 
> I really hope you enjoyed it, and as always, expect chapter 9 this time next week. Hope to see you then.
> 
> Have a good one 😁❤


	9. What I lost I found with you.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A peaceful night is interrupted by a dark ghost from the past.
> 
> But then again, when have nights ever been peaceful for Adora?
> 
> //CW: Mentions of past abuse, nightmares.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: *has a posting schedule*  
> Life: Aww, that's cute ^.^  
> Also Life: *proceeds to screw my schedule over*
> 
> ALRIGHT HI THERE YA'LL (☞ﾟヮﾟ)☞  
> If you're wondering why I'm posting Chapter 9 today, WELL a recent development (A.K.A Exams) has completely murdered my posting schedule, which means that I'll be going on a mini-hiatus until Sunday 21st of March, but I didn't want to leave you guys without an update so I decided to upload the new chapter today instead. This does mean however that the next update will happen on the 21st rather than the 14th, as was previously stated.
> 
> With that said, I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter. It is personally my favorite even though it holds a lot of deep feels but also one of the fluffiest scenes in this whole fic.
> 
> And without further ado, let's get on with the chapter.
> 
> Hope you enjoy ^o^  
> Your Kudos and comments are highly appreciated❤
> 
> //CW: Mentions of past abuse, nightmares.

Adora opened her eyes to a harsh, burning light. Immediately, she could tell that something was wrong. Everything around her looked blurry and faded, as though it was reaching her eyes through a translucent screen. She tried to move, to look around, but she found that she couldn’t.

She also felt… smaller somehow? Like everything around her was just too big. Like nothing was the right size.

The atmosphere around her was electric, sizzling with an energy she couldn’t quite place, almost like a mix of static electricity and residual magic.

Suddenly, a strange sound filled her ears. A voice… whose voice? The voice was feminine but something was missing from it. It didn’t sound human. It sounded… robotic. Automated. Fake.

Then, she heard a loud and desperate shout of “NO” echo from somewhere across from her.

Something sliced through the atmosphere like a sharp, glowing knife, followed by a strong, radiating heat.

Suddenly, Adora felt that same force tug at her, the heat pulling her in. She still couldn’t move. She didn’t like this at all. She could feel unease and fear growing in her. She wanted to get away; she wanted to shout, to scream for help. But who would she call? A cry finally rose from her throat, somewhat involuntarily, but it didn’t sound right. Another cry echoed her own. Someone was… calling her? Yes, that was definitely her name being called.

“…ra… ADORA!” The sudden urgency of the voice took her slightly by surprise. But, for some reason, she knew with certainty that she had to get to its source. That the source of that voice was also the source for safety and warmth and… love…

The heat that was pulling her suddenly became searing, although she didn’t feel any pain. The light got even brighter, and Adora cried out again, a desperate plea for help.

Her eyes suddenly caught a flash of something purple and see-through, before a biting cold hit her from every direction, and the pressure around her changed as she crashed somewhere.

Everything felt wrong.

The quiet that followed, interrupted by the cries of a baby and the crackles of a distant vortex of electricity… the silent pad of footsteps, and the crunch of the grass underneath them. The strange, eerie colors around her. The sudden appearance of a confused and worried pair of red eyes above her head, and the feeling of two strong, armor-clad arms scooping her up from the ground.

Why was she so small? So frail she felt like she could break at any moment?

Something in the red eyes shifted, and the change scared her, the unknowingness of it all suddenly overwhelming her.

Then, everything became heavier, and it became harder to breathe, as a veil of shadows so familiar, and so terrifying began to spread around her, rising from nothing, materializing from thin air. The red eyes disappeared, drowned in the darkness’s wake.

Everything went quiet.

Tendrils of crimson and black closed her off from the world she had so-mysteriously found herself in. She wanted to shout, to scream for help, but… not a peep made it past her lips. She couldn’t even hum a sound, let alone try at speech.

As darkness began threatening to engulf her, she blinked, trying to focus and adapt her vision, begging silently for a way out of this incubus. She closed and opened her eyes again and again, constantly met with deepening blackness, panic swelling like a rock in her throat.

And then, the heaviness in her grew, even as the last remnant of her breath was knocked out of her lungs. She heard herself let out a cry, though small, and then finally, whatever was holding her backed down, and she was breathing again, gulping in the air so fast her lungs threatened to burst. Her heart drummed against her chest in a wild rhythm, close to snapping out of her ribcage.

Soft caresses suddenly began a mad course up and down her back as a new and reassuring voice made its way over to her mind. And this time, when Adora cracked her eyes open, instead of seeing darkness, she was met with a yellow and turquoise pair of eyes, as a comforting shade replaced the suffocating darkness.

Her panting and the cold sweat coating her body were enough to tell Adora that this had been yet another nightmare, but something about this one felt different, and terrifyingly real.

Catra’s voice came to her ears, but she sounded strangely alien to her, as if they were speaking from different mountain tops. “-ra, it’s okay… just a nightmare…”

A strange heat spread over her shaking body and she heard small, distressed whimpers accompany her exhales as Adora tried to feel her surroundings to determine where she was exactly.

Their room in Orwin Castle, in Catra’s arms.

Adora’s shivering didn’t abate as stinging tears ran involuntarily from her eyes, and she instinctively reached out for the only beacon of safety near her.

Catra answered her unspoken call by taking her in her arms and holding her gently, one hand rubbing gentle circles in Adora’s back, while the other carded through and caressed her blonde hair. Adora was panicking, and she didn’t know why, which caused her senses to flare up even further. This nightmare had been different. It was probably the most violent one she’d had since defeating Horde Prime. She felt as though a battle between two titans had just been waged in her mind. She held onto the magicat like she was drowning, and breathed to try to ground herself, as Catra whispered sweet nothings to help her calm down. 

Catra spoke again, and this time, Adora heard her loud and clear.

“Adora, it’s okay… It was just another nightmare. It’s over now, I promise.” Catra’s voice, though slightly panicked, was soothing in a way Adora desperately needed right now. She sank deeper into the gentleness of her girlfriend’s hold, letting the magicat take over her senses for a few moments, although her mind remained restless, until she realized…

“No… this… this wasn’t just another nightmare…” Adora said, her shaky voice barely above a whisper, yet Catra was able to catch the fear in it. Her face molded into concern, as she and Adora sat up in the darkness.

Before she continued, Adora grabbed her still full glass of water and downed it in an instant as one of Catra’s hands still stood reassuringly between her shoulder blades, the other softly wiping away the blonde’s tears.

“This wasn’t a normal nightmare Catra…” Adora began, her voice finally a little louder, yet still little more than a hushed whisper. “I’ve had this dream before, several times too but… it had never felt that real before,” the blonde explained, which only helped further Catra’s confusion and concern.

“What dream are we talking about exactly? If you can really call that a dream…” the magicat asked, her gentle voice edged with concern and a dash of curiosity.

And so, Adora told her about that recurring dream of hers. How she’d only had it a few times when they were both children and how when she’d reached a certain age (6 or 7, she wasn’t sure) it had just stopped coming after a strange encounter with Shadow Weaver that she very vaguely remembered.

How she suddenly began having it again a few months ago, yet hadn’t thought anything of it. How she’d had it the night before they received Adam’s message and had woken up in a cold sweat quite similarly to that night. How she’d considered telling Catra about it, only for her to completely forget, distracted by the events of the day, and all the commotion that followed the arrival of the transmission. How she’d had it twice on the ship and hadn’t said anything.

She told her about the dream’s contents, recounting all the details she could remember, then told her about that night’s dream, and how it had all felt so real. How everything had felt familiar to her, like an intense wave of déjà vu.

And then, with slight difficulty, she told Catra about that night’s dream, and the terrifying intrusion that had cut it short.

All while she spoke, Catra listened intently, her hand still rubbing soothing circles into Adora’s back, easing the sting of her troubled stirring, as a few dots began to connect in her mind. Once Adora was finally finished, they both remained silent for a few moments, as Catra handed her a second glass of water.

She didn’t speak until Adora had finished the glass.

“Adora, how long has this been going on? No, I mean, when exactly did this start up again?” Catra asked, suspicion growing in her mind.

“I told you a few months ago… or, actually, a little more than a year ago, I think. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier I just… too many things were going on and I didn’t want to add on it all because of a stupid dream and- ”

Catra quickly grabbed one of Adora’s hands between hers to quiet down her rambling and get her attention.

“Hey, hey… There’s nothing to apologize for here. And it’s okay. Sure, I would’ve preferred if you’d told me right away, but you just did now. Better late than never right?” The magicat asked, her glowing mismatched eyes locking with Adora’s.

“Right...” the blond finally conceded. “But I’m guessing you probably don’t have an answer about those dreams, do you?”

Catra looked down on her folded legs, averting her eyes from Adora’s. She had in fact a pretty clear idea of what those dreams might be, but did she really want to tell her? There wasn’t a single subject concerning them that Adora and Catra hadn’t talked about before, but they hadn’t exactly lingered on this one in particular, more for Adora’s sake than anything. To speak of it now felt like treading into uncharted waters, the cold unknown slowly rising around her. But she figured she might as well be honest. After all, her being wrong wouldn’t harm either of them… would it?

“Actually I… may have an idea,” The magicat began. “You told me that you kept hearing a strange automated voice in your dream, seeing something purple and see-through and hearing a baby cry, then landing somewhere completely different and seeing bright red eyes… What if… what if that’s not a dream, but a memory?” Catra proposed.

Confusion flashed on Adora’s face. Where was Catra going with this?

“A memory?” the blonde echoed, unable to elaborate further.

“Your memory to be more specific. What if your mind is remembering what happened when Light Hope brought you to Etheria? That purple see-through thing and the automated voice speaking could very much be her, but you just remember her the way you do because you were just a baby at the time,” Catra explained further.

Adora’s face went blank as she considered it. It somehow added up. All those dreams had felt unusually real. Concrete. Like memories. Distant and lacking but still, memories. The more she considered the possibility, the more Adora believed it could be true.

“You know, that might actually be it… but…” Suddenly, new questions popped into Adora’s mind. If they were memories, why was she only remembering them now? Furthermore, how was she even remembering them, if, at the time, she was supposed to be a baby, probably no more than 7 months old? And she hadn’t even begun to think about that terrifying darkness that had almost swallowed her in tonight’s dream. The wheels in her mind turned incessantly, yet reached no conclusion.

“But, wait, no it doesn’t make sense…” Adora managed to get out, mind working at high speed, trying and failing to map out a reasonable conclusion.

“What doesn’t make sense?” Catra asked, probing Adora’s face for any clues about her mental dilemma.

“How could they be memories if I was just a baby? I’m not sure a 7 months’ old could have remembered all that stuff, traumatizing as it may be for a child to go through that,” Adora remarked, her voice etched with slight frustration.

“You don’t really know that, do you? Adora, what if First One memory is… different, somehow? What if you can remember more than you know, just like the magicats? I wouldn’t really put it past a civilization that advanced to enhance their own memory.” Catra admitted, her tail flicking incessantly behind her.

Adora gave it some thought… for all she knows, and after everything she’s seen, Catra could be right. For a civilization whose children were born capable of reading their own language without learning it, the First Ones could have very easily, and successfully dabbled with memory enhancement. But if that was the case, and those dreams were indeed buried memories, then why had they waited so long to resurface?

“Then, why now? Why would they show up now? And why did they even stop in the first place? And what about what happened tonight?” Adora more thought aloud than asked, the questions meant more for her than anyone else. However, the answer still came from Catra, as much as she dreaded giving it.

“Remember that strange encounter with Shadow Weaver that you can vaguely remember when you were around 6 or 7?” Catra hesitantly asked, hoping her girlfriend would get the point without her having to go into detail.

Adora thought about the question for a second…

Oh.

Sour understanding bloomed across her face. Because there were no other encounters with Shadow Weaver she vaguely remembered.

No, because those were all burned into her mind like an unrelenting, half-healed scar.

Of course.

That’s why they had stopped. That was the darkness that had almost swallowed her tonight.

“Catra… you don’t think she… that she might’ve…”

_Messed with your memory? Cursed you to make you forget? Manipulated your mind to achieve her own twisted, rotten ends?,_ were all probable endings for her girlfriend’s unfinished sentence, Catra thought. She didn’t say anything, only nodded, and held Adora’s hand tighter. 

Adora closed her eyes and brought her free hand to rub her forehead, sighing the long, exasperated kind of sigh that accompanied every conversation about the infamous sorceress.

“Sometimes, I wonder just how much of my life she might’ve actually taken from me. How much don’t I know about myself at this point?” Adora asked no one, her voice tinged with the kind of hurt that Shadow Weaver still managed to inflict, even from beyond her non-existing grave.

Without saying a word, Catra gently moved the blonde’s head to lay on her shoulder. In times like these, they could only find comfort in each other. For every word said, every grief inflicted, every shot of electric pain, every magical outburst of darkness, every nightmare couldn’t reach either of them when they just held onto each other. It was like they kept each other safe from the viscous sea of blackness Shadow Weaver had left them to drown into for the majority of their lives.

“Hey, at least now you do remember. You think it could hold a clue that could help us find your origins?” Catra asked, pulling them both into a new subject.

“I…” the question took Adora slightly aback, but she still considered it.

Her mind went over the dream again, and again, searching for anything. She played and replayed the sequence of images over and over in her mind, but the more she tried to remember, the less she actually could. Afraid that she might lose what she already knew, Adora stopped trying. With a defeated slump to her, she extricated herself from Catra’s hold, choosing instead to look at the floor.

“I don’t think so. I can barely remember most of it, and what I do remember isn’t helping that much,” The blonde said, clearly admitting defeat as she flopped back onto the soft pillows and locked her eyes to the ceiling of their room in Orwin Castle, staring at the First One carvings that filled it, lighting it with glittering words and constellations and maps of places she had never seen. Catra quickly followed, yet her line of sight was locked on Adora instead of the ceiling.

“Well… at least now we have something to go off of right?” Catra asked, trying to ignore the drowsiness that began to settle in her as she spread the covers back over them.

“What do you mean?” Adora asked, averting her eyes from the carvings above her to look at her girlfriend.

“I mean we have something to base our research on. We know, for starters, that whoever, and wherever your parents might be, 22 years ago they lost a kid to a portal opened by a crazy hologram lady who wanted to see the world burn.”

Adora couldn’t help but giggle at the way Catra had phrased the impossible situation Light Hope had put her through all these years ago. She turned to her side to face the bright glow of her girlfriend’s mismatched eyes, shining in the darkness.

“I think we all already knew that, Catra. But yeah sure, it’s a good 1st lead. Although I think this part of our mission might have to go on the back-burner for a while,” Adora admitted, raising a hand to scratch the soft fur behind Catra’s ear, causing a purr to instantly rise from her chest.

“Why is that, princess?” Catra asked, her sleepiness now breaking through the seams. And she wasn’t the only one. Adora’s eyes too began to grow heavy and she stifled a yawn.

“Because of that Andrew guy. He really is no joke. Adam told me everything about him when we were talking.”

“What’s his deal anyway?” Catra wondered, her question flanked by a long, drawn-out yawn.

“Apparently, he’s a crazy maniac who wants the throne and… you know, a whole mess of other things too. But can we talk about it tomorrow, I’m kinda exhausted.”

“Yeah, me too. And hey, if you have that same dream again and you wanna talk about it, or if you need anything, just wake me up okay?” Catra requested, making an effort to keep her eyes open to catch Adora’s agreement. The blonde nodded somewhat hesitantly and yawned again.

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell you if do,” Adora agreed, eyes starting to close. “And Catra?”

The magicat hummed in response, shuffling closer to the blonde and wrapping a hand around her waist.

“Thanks for all this. Thanks for being here when I need you.”

Catra couldn’t help the wide grin that spread across her face at hearing those words. Usually, an apology would've followed these words, ingrained into Adora's character from the very beginning. The absence of one meant that Catra's (and many others') effort had finally paid off and that the smallest little selfish streak had finally flickered awake in her girlfriend, even though there was still a long way to go. Though this was a little ray of hope. Her and Adora's past together was greatly tainted by Shadow Weaver, and every time they thought they were finally free of her, she'd still find a way to worm her way back in through the cracks she left in her wake. But one at a time, Adora and Catra were closing those cracks, healing and love flowing into them like sweet honey, like liquid gold. And though those cracks would never fully disappear, instead of staining the girls' lives with darkness, they would instead make them shine like filaments of gold snaking in the fissures of a white porcelain bowl.

Tonight had brought with it a new foe to fight, a new crack to fill. And just as they had previously, Catra knew now, with blissful certainty, that the two of them together would get through this. Just like they always had.

Smiling widely at the half-asleep blonde in her arms, she scooched over, placing a tender kiss on her forehead.

“I promised I’d look out for you didn’t I?” Catra simply answered, a wide lazy grin painted on her face, watching as sleep slowly took her girlfriend away.

“I promised that too,” Adora mumbled with a lazy smile, returning the kiss with a small peck on the lips. “I love you,” she finished, before finally drifting off.

Catra smiled as she carded her fingers through the loose strands of her girlfriend’s hair.

“I love you too,” she declared, taking Adora into her embrace, tucking the blonde’s forehead into her shoulder, and leaving a light kiss on the top of her head then finally closing her eyes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kintsugi (金継ぎ, "golden joinery"):  
> The Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum.  
> As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise.  
> (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kintsugi).
> 
> -
> 
> Alright, so that was chapter 9. I really hope you guys enjoyed. As I mentioned in my earlier notes, chapter 10 will be dropping on Sunday 21st of March as I am going on a miny-hiatus to study for my midterm exams. 
> 
> Thanks for sticking around and have a good one 😁❤

**Author's Note:**

> Oh boy, okay so that was Chapter 1. All in all, I hope to establish a regular or semi-regular posting schedule so that I don't leave you guys hanging. My aim is to post a chapter per week. So you can expect chapter two around this time next week if all goes well. I really hope you liked it and would love to hear from you. I'd love to answer any questions you guys may have (without revealing too much of course), and I would be glad to hear your opinions. As for the contents of the story, I'd strongly advise that you keep an eye on the notes for trigger warnings, potential explanations when they are needed, or updates about the writing process/posting schedule. 
> 
> Please note however that, while I respect everybody's opinion and while I truly and deeply appreciate and am open to constructive criticism when worded politely, rude/offensive comments will not be tolerated. I know I am new to this, and I know that not everything will be perfect but I am trying my best. Rude comments to me will be addressed in a proper manner, but hate-speech against a certain character/aspect of the story and/or any form of racism/sexism/homo or transphobia will definitely NOT be accepted. I wish to make this point clear before addressing any further issues. Again, thank you so much for reading. Your nice comments and Kudos are appreciated and I hope our journey together will be as enjoyable and fun as can be. Have a good one ❤❤.


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